Twilight Of Solitude
by madcapellan
Summary: Set three years after Twilight Princess, Midna has found a way to return to the light world, but will her people embrace this idea, and will anyone want to see her when she gets there?
1. One Solution

_This is a "novelization" of a screenplay I wrote last year as a sequel to _Legend Of Zelda: Twilight Princess_. As such, the entire story is finished, but I still have to flesh out the literary parts, which I shouldn't be doing nor have time for right now. If you're one of the two or three people who read the screenplay version, you may enjoy rereading this since more descriptions have been added. On the other hand, those familiar with the characters and locations won't need the descriptions of them, but I'm working under the assumption that the reader is entirely unfamiliar with everything, even if for now they likely won't be. I will finish this, but I can make no promises as to the speed of it for the next few months. Like other stories here, I neither own the characters nor am responsible for the backstory which acts as a setup to this one._

--

Hurried footsteps echo in a hallway. A strange, dark-colored hallway, yet everything is visible. Ah, we are following someone, but where to cannot possibly be said. She is slender and wearing a long cloak (and it is definitely a she) with a strange pattern on the back. Not much else is yet discernible.

There are some people in this hallway who appear to resemble her. They are also slender (well, most of them), with green patterned skin and an almost ghost-like white face, from the looks of it. One of them is approaching her.

"Princess, good, we were just about to start the meeting to go over your speech for later, and I wasn't…"

"Cancel it."

"But…"

This protest is barely registered when our companion spins suddenly around, and her appearance is as strange as it is distinctive. Her red hair (which is of course really orange) is about as fiery as that color can be, with two long sections of it coming down the sides of her face and together in some sort of metallic scrunchie. This almost looks like she is wearing a zippered hooded jacket, which of course she couldn't be. The rest of her hair adorns her (apparently typical of her kind) ovallic-shaped head, and at the top of it hangs a strange pointed-shaped medallion. The top almost looks like a scorpion with a red jewel in its center, while two zigzag lines come down onto her nose and eventually merge into a single point. Her eyes (which currently look enraged) have red irises (no, wait…she has a second, darker iris in each eye before her pupils) and yellow sclera. On top of them rests precisely curved eyeshadow that follows her eyes and seems to touch her hair on the sides of her face. The last noticeable feature are her purple lips (presumably from lipstick, probably).

She looks like she's about to take the head off of this helpless girl in front of her, but this lasts for but a moment before she calms herself.

"I'll be fine. I have something important to finish first, so I'm sure you can carry on without me, right?"

"Um, yes of course…"

"Good, see you later."

With that we are off again. It seems after a moment that we have reached our destination, as she approaches what appears to be a door (if you can call a circular hatch in the middle of a wall a door). And apparently you can, because she waves her hand at it, and the door glows to life and slides over for her. She enters while barely missing a beat.

An expansive room waits in front of her, but you wouldn't expect less for a princess. A large canopied bed dominates the room, but a desk off to the side is no less noticeable. However, none of this is what preoccupies the princess at the moment. On the wall opposite the door hangs a painting, and for now she stares at it intently.

A wolf. Nothing too special about this wolf at first glance, except for the blue eyes (can they have blue eyes? Well, this one does). As she continues looking at this picture, it is already obvious that this is much more than a scene in nature.

_Yep._

With a breath, she regains her train of thought and walks over to the desk. As she sits, she centers a piece of parchment, and reaches for a nearby quill sitting in an ink well (which unsurprisingly matches the green and black pattern of things around here). With a dab, it's finally time to write the letter…but what to say? Her first thought is but a false start, and a smile spreads over her face. Finally, the words start coming to her.

-Dearest Link,

Another pause. How best to express this?

-I made a mistake.

There. Short, simple, direct. But not a statement that comes close to describing what happened years ago. She can of course remember every single event of that day with perfect accuracy, but has done everything she could to forget them. As her gaze once again returns to the painting of the wolf, one thing is clear. It hasn't worked.

--

A vast landscape stretches out in front of us, but "land" really isn't the right word to describe it. The sky consists of an ethereal white light and large dark clouds (mostly clouds), and what little land there is rests in front of us, along with a few islands off in the distance. But everything is dark, except for the light and a strange white circular pattern that hangs in the air in front of us.

Presently, something starts to materialize out of the pattern. Piece by piece start from the bottom before finally the whole person is there. Our princess, of course. As soon as she comes together, she opens her mouth in some apparent shock, and is breathing heavily despite not having any recent physical activity.

_He's gone._

She had thought she'd hate herself for her final words, which didn't end up saying anything that she wanted. She had also thought she might be slightly relieved that this whole ordeal was finally over, although after a while she didn't really want it to end. But it did, and she had to leave, and now here she was.

_He's gone._

It was the only thing racing through her mind right now, and she couldn't think of anything else. For a moment, she thought she'd be able to control herself. She was the leader of her people. She had to be strong. But it was just a moment. With a deep breath, the tears started to flow uncontrollably.

Were we actually there with her, we might have turned away at the uncomfortableness of the situation. Or perhaps we would try to comfort her as best we could. But there wasn't anyone there. So there she stood, bawling, and alone.

_He's gone._

- I was certain that destroying the connection between our worlds was the only solution. We had seen so much suffering together, and I knew I couldn't let any of that happen again.

Wait a minute, there is someone there after all. One of her people is approaching her. Is it really her? He reaches her, and extends an arm to get her attention. As she turns around, her even redder, sobbing eyes are of no concern. It _is_ her! The nightmare is over!

-And I think, although you never said anything, that you knew it too.

With an arm, he encourages her away from this viewpoint and towards the palace off in the distance. He starts gesturing frantically and excitedly in its direction.

- But now, I really don't think it was the right choice. As much as I hate to think of Zant and all that he did to my people, his words have still stayed with me.

As he continues to lead her, it is apparent who he has been gesturing to. A crowd of perhaps thousands of her people wait around the palace's entrance, and as the two get closer, they realize what he did just moments before. It _is_ her!

- My family really hasn't done anything to address the issues regarding your world. I look at my people and see that they're a lot like I used to be; so filled with hate and disgust for a world which they know very little about.

A cheer begins to erupt from the crowd, and after a moment it is almost deafening. After what had happened over the last few months, she never really thought she'd get a reception like this again. Come to think of it, she never has.

- It has become a common anger, and it holds all of us back. You have seen the extent to what this anger can cause.

But she cannot return the elation she sees on her people's faces. This will be a time that none of them will ever forget, and they shouldn't want to do so. Of course, she will never forget this day either, but that was already certain before a single voice was raised in her support.

- I have tried telling them the stories of my time in your world, but they have not had the same effect. Therefore, I can see only one solution.

--

The princess returns from her reverie to complete the letter, as the rest of that day's events have mercifully faded over time. At this point, she had to be honest.

- I have no idea if you even want to see me, and I'm not even sure if this letter will reach you. I don't expect anything more from you than what you've already given. I just want you to know…that I'm coming.

With the letter completed, she signs the name "Midna" at the bottom, and folds the parchment's corners together. She takes a piece of wax (dark, of course) that was sitting nearby and places it where the corners meet, and it takes but a wave of her hand for the wax to melt into a perfectly shaped seal. Midna then turns the letter around, and writes "To Link of Ordon" on the front of it. Then she rises from her chair.

A deep breath follows before Midna sets to work. She focuses intently on the letter, and then after a moment starts mumbling something unintelligible as she brings a hand in front of her. This doesn't last long before she stops, and then…

"AH!"

…with great physical exertion, she lifts her hand into the air. This causes the letter to rise up off of her desk, and it also seems to be warping the surrounding space just a bit. The letter stops, and then (exactly in reverse of what Midna did earlier) disintegrates into the air.


	2. I Know

Hurried footsteps echo in a beautiful forest glade. A horse rushes by in a small path among the trees. On top of this horse sits a rider in green, but anything else is not yet discernible. As the rider encourages the horse on with shouts, they are quickly approaching a clearing.

As they continue galloping through this clearing, they enter the incredible vastness of Hyrule Field. Trees are visible along the border, and so is what appears to be a castle…well, at least part of one. Like most of the trees, it lies way off in the distance from the present location of rider and horse.

And on they go, galloping through the few solitary trees and few ridges in an otherwise flat expanse. Past a small puddle of a lake and over towards a narrowing in the path, where the rocky plateaus almost come together. More shouts from the rider, as they purposefully continue on…to somewhere.

Suddenly, they hear a voice, even though there doesn't appear to be anyone around.

"Hey! MR. LINK! WAAAAIIIIIITTTTT!"

The rider slows his horse to a stop, and turns to see who is calling, although he hardly seems shocked by this man appearing out of nowhere. His blue eyes squint at the approaching figure, although his pointed ears aren't really necessary considering the bellowing of the running man.

"WAAAAAIIIIIIT! MR. LINK! MR. LINK!"

He finally comes into view after running over a small incline in the path. His appearance is almost as comical as his random appearance in the middle of seemingly nowhere. The most notable feature is a white and red samurai flag that extends well above his head, and the harness it is attached to sits over his white tank top. He also wears a large circular red cap along with white shorts and sandals.

Finally, he reaches Link and comes to a stop, clearly out of breath. Link dismounts his horse and walks over toward where he is standing.

"Greetings."

He is bent over for the moment, but seems to be catching his breath.

"I have an important letter for you."

He reaches into his back pocket to produce a letter written on dark paper, which Link regards somewhat quizzically. As the postman offers the letter to Link, he hums a quick majestic tune, which is apparently standard postman procedure here as Link doesn't find this strange. Of course, his attention remains on the letter, which he continues to look at after taking it from the postman.

"Wish I could say from whom though. The darndest thing too; it was just lying in the middle of the ground, no doubt the result of a spurious postman shirking his duties. That's an official seal on the back though..."

Link turns the letter over at the mention of this, and sees the equally dark seal whose shape can really only be from one place.

"…so I knew it was important."

The postman has finally regained his breath, and stands upright while starting to face away from Link.

"Well, my business is concluded. Onward to mail!"

He offers a short salute with this final statement, and again resumes running in the direction from which he originally appeared. With Link now alone again (aside from his horse), he carefully pries open the seal, and opens the letter.

His look as he begins reading is confused for a moment, but after a few sentences, the change of expression is as quick as it is drastic. He is instantly quite serious, and as he continues quickly reading the letter, he slowly and unknowingly moves it away from his face and slightly closer to the ground.

Link's expression remains the same as he finishes the letter, but he's clearly still lost in his thoughts as his gaze now moves above the letter.

--

It is a bright summer day, although in this desert landscape, it's hard to tell if this is really the season or not. Thankfully, the location isn't the middle of nowhere, but inside a building that resembles the ruins of the Coliseum. Columns rise out of the ground in a circular pattern, while a few objects stand in the middle of the open foreground. The first is something that appears to be a stand, but it isn't holding anything. The top of it is bent in a half circle, but nothing rests on top of it.

The other "objects" are two people. One is Link, looking much as he does now, although perhaps a little younger, while the other appears to be a princess, judging by her regal dress. One who originated in this world, though, although she shares the pointed ears of her companion.

They are standing and staring at the stand, and are apparently stunned at whatever has just happened. After a moment, the princess turns to look at Link, and regards him for a time as he continues staring ahead.

"Link, I'm so sorry."

This gets a reaction out of Link, who turns away from the princess in quiet disgust. The stunned look is now replaced by an angry scowl, if not a slightly saddened one. Unperturbed, the princess moves over toward Link and places a hand on his shoulder, in a futile attempt to comfort him.

"We may have only touched for a short time, but, she wanted you to know that she..."

"I know."

At this short sentence, the princess appears even more stunned than she did just moments ago, as if this were the first time she'd heard him speak. Come to think of it, outside of a few grunts and growls, it is.

_If he knows, then…_

--

Link's horse now enters the picture, but he is not standing with her. Instead, a beautiful young woman is quietly grooming her in the midst of a small yet picturesque forest spring. She continues gently stroking the horse while sometimes dipping into the shallow pool of water in which they stand before continuing. As she does this, the woman is softly whispering encouragements to the horse.

It is not long before Link indeed approaches these two, and the soft echoing of his footsteps in the water gets the woman's attention. She turns to look at him, but does her best not to betray any of her true feelings as she does so. Link stops a short distance in front of them, while the woman leaves the horse for the moment to go over to him.

"Hello, Link. That was really something you did, for the kids, for me, for all of us. We're lucky to have someone like you around."

Link seems to have no reaction to this whatsoever. He continues looking straight ahead, averting his eyes from the woman, who now begins to pace around the spring a bit before continuing, as she turns to look at him again.

"But we're not going to have you around anymore, are we? I know, all of Hyrule needs their hero. But don't forget what you have here. The kids look up to you, and they need a role model like you. And some of us, would miss having you around."

She begins to approach Link again, and a small smile can't help but spread across her face as she does. Link still seems to barely notice.

"Even a hero needs a home,…"

As if to make her intentions quite clear, she brings her hand up to touch the side of his face.

"…and a family."

Link finally reacts, but it is far from her intended one. He quickly recoils at the touch, and seems almost disgusted by this physical contact. The woman probably should've expected this, but somehow she had hoped he'd be different now. Clearly he wasn't able to appreciate what he had right in front of him, and her anger is quite apparent as she continues to address him.

"You're not making this easy for me, Link. I've tried to be understanding through all of this, but you just stand there moody and unresponsive. I don't know what you want from me."

Of course! Why hadn't she thought of it before? After his long adventure and all the places he went, he was bound to meet someone. And of course he did. A simple peasant girl wasn't good enough for him anymore, obviously.

"It's Zelda, isn't it? Well, go on. I can't compete with a princess."

The woman now turns away from Link, and refuses to look at him any longer. Link looks at her as she has now finished her mini-tirade, and can only offer a small shake of his head. With nothing left to say, he walks over to his horse, mounts her, and the two then start to ride out of the spring.

"Heyah!"

--

The sun is starting to set on Hyrule Field now, and Link watches in its direction as the star slowly descends in the sky. As the sun reaches the horizon, its bottom portion is obscured, with the rest of it following suit in a seemingly quick fashion. After a moment, it is entirely obscured, leaving only the twilight to illuminate the sky.

As it does so, Link draws his sword, and makes two slashes with it in front of him in an apparently symbolic gesture. He then brings the sword up to his face so that it is parallel with it, while continuing to look in the direction of where the sun disappeared. The sword rests in that position but a moment before he slowly brings it down to his side. His gaze continues in the same direction.

--

Much as it does now, moments after he has read her letter. At this point, he didn't know how he should feel about this. What had it been, three years or so? There were many more memories of the time after she left, but none of them were good. He was finally beginning to accept that she wasn't going to be a part of his life, and at least he wasn't nearly as emotional as he used to be. Link wasn't sure he wanted to go through all of that again.

Wait a minute. How did she send him a letter in the first place? They both knew that the one gateway to her realm had been destroyed those years ago, and if there was another way, he would have found it. How did he even know that this was from her? Was this someone's idea of a joke?

Well, maybe she did find a way to get back after all. The thought of that was much too good to be true.

"This is sick."

Link quickly crumples the letter with one hand and throws it onto the path. It just sits there on the ground, and might have stayed there for a while undisturbed if Link decided to leave.

However, with no sounds emanating from his horse, he hasn't done so. The letter sits for just a moment until Link picks it up and looks again. Almost unknowingly, he brings his hand to touch the letter, and slowly moves it along the paper.

_This is _her_ letter._


	3. No Logical Reason

A crowd has gathered outside of the palace in anticipation of Princess Midna's aforementioned speech, which begins presently.

"My fellow Twili, our history has been filled with hatred. A hatred for the people of the world of light who condemned our ancestors to the Twilight centuries ago."

--

While at about the same time, Link is again riding purposefully throughout Hyrule. His destination of course remains anyone's guess. At the moment, he is galloping across Hyrule Field, close to where we first saw him.

- "But we do not look upon this as a sentence. We have instead developed our own cultural identity, and are proud to call the Twilight home. But even to this day, resentment still exists for those who sent us here."

Link and his horse now gallop down a dirt road that goes through a dusty looking village which almost seems straight out of the old west. A few buildings adorn the sides of the road, but the mountains in the background are the only other noticeable feature.

- "As you know, some years ago I went to the world of light, and what I found surprised me. These were not hateful people, but instead were people filled with ambition and great heart. I would not be standing here today without their assistance. Yes, I closed off the portal to their world those years ago, but only because I did not wish the tragedies of that time to happen again."

Another tour through a different and more open section of the gigantic Hyrule Field for Link, with that same portion of a castle now perhaps a bit closer and more prominent off in the distance.

- "However, new knowledge has come to light since then, and I am here to announce that we will be going back to the world of light. Not as conquering enemies, but as friends. This process will obviously be gradual, and though there may be times when I will be away, I will not abandon you. The Twilight Realm is my home, and so it shall remain. But I would be remiss in my duties as your leader if I did not explore any opportunity for the advancement of our people."

As Link continues through a rocky pass, he approaches a very large bridge that spans a great expanse. At the bottom of this expanse appears to be a lake, but it's hard to see anything for sure from this vantage point.

- "This may be a long process, but I'm sure I can count on your support, as you have always given me."

--

Among the crowd gathered under the balcony stand a number of concerned looking Twili, whose attention still rests on the princess's speech.

"Together, I know we can restore greatness to the Twili, and I look forward to a time of peace and prosperity in the Twilight."

Many of the Twili now cheer in willful support of their princess, but the concerned-looking ones do not. They instead exchange their worried looks with each other.

--

A Twili walks through a typically dark room that appears to be a tavern. Something that could be considered a bar takes up one side of the room (with a Twili standing behind it), while a few dark tables (some of them occupied) take up much of the rest of it. However, this particular Twili's destination is neither of these, as he continues moving past the bar into a back room. As he moves into this room, we see one Twili standing up while others are moving to sit down or are already seated at a number of tables at this room. This Twili starts to address the assembled as the recently arrived Twili sits down with his brethren.

"Alright, I think we can start this meeting."

This gets the various Twili's attention, who now start to quiet down. A few stragglers hurriedly move to find a seat.

"I should first say that I assume we are all grateful for all our princess has done for us."

Some nods and a general air of agreement from the crowd.

"Understand also that I do not believe we feel the princess is an incapable ruler; rather we are all concerned with this new direction the princess plans on taking us."

There are more nods and now a number of vocal agreements from the seated Twili. One of them, a female, now speaks up. "I don't understand this fascination with the Light World."

And another; a male on the other side of the room. "And after what Zant did, it's hard to believe their people would welcome us at all."

The Twili up front now continues. "Zant was a fool. His obsession with the world of light is what led to his downfall. I fear our princess is headed down the same path."

The female again. "Why should we care about the Light World anyway? We've been fine without them for centuries now."

And back up front to the leader. "I agree. The problems in our history all have something to do with the world of light. There can be no logical reason why she should want to return there."

Our Twili friend from before now pipes up. "What do you propose, Janaro?"

Janaro nods toward him, and smiles slightly as if he had been waiting for this question. "Well nothing so rash as deposing our dear princess. That is entirely unnecessary. To get to the Light World, she will no doubt need to open a portal. I propose we close that portal."

This revelation causes some noticeable unrest among the assembled Twili. A Twili from the middle of the room speaks out over the commotion. "But how is that possible?"

Janaro has to raise his voice to be heard over the crowd. "Alone perhaps it is not," he begins, and the sound of his voice is able to restore some order. "But our strength will be much greater if we join together. Besides, collapsing such a portal is much different than opening one." The meeting leader now turns his attention to a Twili sitting close to him. "You don't have to believe me that it is possible. Just ask our librarian."

The librarian rises from his seat, and nervously turns to address the other Twili. "There are stories that foretell seven wise men who will one day forge a seal between the light and dark worlds."

This research is apparently all Janaro needs, and he now attempts to assure the restless Twili in front of him. "History may not remember our names, ladies and gentleman, but we are not doing this for posterity. One day, though, our descendents will remember that there were brave men who were willing to preserve peace amongst the Twili. Our princess may not be able to see it right now, but with our help, I am confident that we'll be able to show her that this is the only way to ensure peace for the Twilight."

If Janaro was worried about the possible acceptance of his plan, he never showed it. Instead, he gives a slightly sly yet confident smile to the assembled. "Now, do I have any volunteers?"

The Twili look around at each other, but it's not long before they offer a response. A few in the middle raise their hands quickly, and this show of support is followed by a few more on the outskirts of the room (which includes a number of whom spoke at the meeting).

As Janaro silently counts the raised hands, he smiles a bit to himself at the total. "Well." Six hands were raised, which makes seven counting himself. No doubt a self-fulfilling prophecy, but this was of little concern to the group's leader. "The princess will no doubt be creating a portal soon, and…" Janaro nods knowingly at the librarian, who cannot return his confident look. "if you would be so kind to let us know when she does, we shall be there to close it."

This appears to be the end of the meeting, as the Twili now stand up from their tables and start to head toward the door. One Twili we have not yet heard from still has one obvious question that somehow wasn't addressed. "But what if we end up sealing Princess Midna in the Light World?"

The various Twili stop in their places for the moment at this, and turn their eyes toward Janaro. His nonchalant reaction doesn't divulge if he has thought of this question before, but he does not hesitate with a response. "Well, as the princess _steadfastly_ refuses to produce an heir,"

This statement provokes a response from the Twili men, who turn to each other and nod and voice their agreements enough that it's likely they didn't find out this information second hand.

"If she is unable to return to the Twilight," A slow and almost diabolical smile now spreads across Janaro's face. "I can see a few men here who would be more than capable of leading our people."


	4. Change Of Heart

_A thousand apologies for the time between chapters. I had other things I had to work on, and while I still have plenty to do, I can now return some energies to this again. I still don't know how quick I will be, but it will be quicker than before._

--

The only good thing about the desert is that it is so often a nice, sunny day out. Never mind that that is part of the problem, which Link certainly isn't doing at the moment. A thousand other thoughts are racing through his mind as he approaches that familiar Coliseum-shaped building, which looks practically no different now than it did three years ago.

One such thought is that he wasn't sure he believed she was actually coming back, even though his anxiety seemed to suggest otherwise. And of course he didn't really know if she would again choose this spot to return to his world, although it seemed the most logical since it was where the previous bridge between their two worlds was. As foolish as this likely was, he couldn't miss out on a chance to see her again because of a misunderstanding.

And foolish it continues to seem as Link again approaches the empty stand. There is nothing, of course. Link takes a look around the large space, but disappointment is already beginning to set in. It didn't hurt so bad this time, since he was used to this by now, but it would've been nice to see her again. Oh well. With a breath, Link was ready to make the long return trip home.

Wait. Over by that big black slab. What is that? The adrenaline that immediately shot through Link's body should've easily answered the question. Link slowly begins to move away from the mirror stand, as if being uncontrollably drawn to the glowing object in the distance. While his disbelief is growing with each step, so is his certainty. The closer he gets, the heavier his breathing, but this was unnoticeable to him. Finally, Link comes to rest just in front of this object.

It appears to be a very grainy black and green plus sign, with a dark circle in the middle. There is of course no one else around to notice that this strange shape looks entirely out of place, but if anyone else in Hyrule was, they likely would've had no idea what they were looking at. Link, on the other hand, recognizes it immediately. After he confirms that he isn't seeing things, it doesn't take him too long to piece together what likely had happened.

Suddenly and without another thought, Link takes off running in the direction away from the object.

***

Beautiful. Stately. Gorgeous. Majestic. Picturesque. If these were words that described Hyrule Castle at one time, they certainly don't now. Things have certainly improved since the original castle was demolished three years ago, but it's still going to be a while before the once-proud fortress is returned to its usual state. At least some of the bottom floors have been completed, which has allowed Princess Zelda and her guards to return to their shelter. But there is still much to be done.

If this ordeal was wearing on the princess, she certainly isn't showing it, as she stands outside inspecting the work. It had been this routine for as many days as she could remember now, but the work had to be done, and so she was doing it. After how close she had been to losing everything, it didn't seem nearly so bad. The perks of being in charge and therefore sticking to the supervising end of things didn't hurt either.

While her various guards continued at work around her (who else was there to build, after all), one of them approaches Zelda, who doesn't seem to immediately notice.

"Princess, the men wish to know if they may break for midday."

Zelda hadn't realized what time it was already, but she knew the importance of keeping her men relatively well rested and happy. After a moment of thought, she turns to the guard.

"Yes, of course. We shall resume in an hour."

This was a welcome response to the guard, who immediately turns to convey the news to the other guards.

"BREAK TIME! ONE HOUR!"  
The other guards also receive this news happily, and set down anything they might be working with as they clamor amongst themselves. However, one guard isn't so happy, and as he rushes toward Zelda from just outside the in-progress castle's gates, his fellow guards are stopped in their tracks.

"PRINCESS! PRINCESS!"

This guard continues running amongst the commotion, and only stops for a much needed breath after he has reached his destination. Despite knowing that there clearly must be something wrong, Zelda receives him calmly.

"Yes?"

"It's the Twili. They've returned."

The Twili?

"No, it is impossible."

Zelda wasn't trying to be mean to the guard, but was just stating what she thought was a fact. She remembered Midna sealing off her world for good, and Link's subsequent attempts to reopen a portal had quietly become equally famous, as they were of course unsuccessful. This just wasn't possible. The guard, however, didn't take her statement as such.

"I have seen this creature with my own eyes! All of Castle Town is in an uproar, and it's coming this way!"

Whatever this guard had seen was obviously serious, and with the events of three years ago quickly returning to her head, she knew she couldn't take a chance on something like it happening again. Zelda had to be quick with her thoughts, and so she was.

"Alright, leave through one of the sides and go find Link. You may have to search all of Hyrule, but he must be found and brought here."

The guard nods, and takes off away from the action with only a slightly confused look on his face. And none too soon. Another guard shouts as he points towards the gates.

"The creature approaches!"

If whatever this is had already subdued Castle Town with the castle proper to come, Link may indeed soon be their only hope. For now, Zelda stands prepared to face what is ahead, and any fear she might have had would never be shown on her face.

A silent shock goes through Zelda as the "creature" finally comes into view. The strange, dark helmet is absolutely reminiscent of Zant's, although much different in shape, while a dark cloak obscures any other features of the figure's body. On the helmet is the face of a warrior, with four points standing up on the sides which almost resemble a crown. However, this figure looks much more menacing than majestic. Adding to the eeriness is that the figure doesn't seem to be walking, but just silently glides along the ground. The various guards stand around with their hands on their spears and their shields pointed at the figure, but all of them tremble in tremendous fear at what is passing by.

The figure continues to move all the way up to Zelda, and then comes to a stop. Unlike her men, Zelda stares hard at the figure, refusing to show any fear. And back the unmoving face of the helmet stares, refusing to show anything. There they stand, neither giving ground, while both seem to be waiting for the other to flinch.

Finally, the figure is the first to move. An obscured arm moves up from under the cloak, and the helmet begins to show some signs of life. Zelda continues to stare, refusing to be frightened by any of this. The helmet moves up a bit and separates into four pieces, as the identity of the person inside is revealed while the pieces disappear behind their back. Zelda's face turns to a look of exasperation as she sees the familiar face of Princess Midna.

"I should really just get a crown."

Zelda finally shows some emotion, releasing a large breath of relief while still not able to believe the next word to come out of her mouth.

"Midna?"

The Twilight Princess smiles slyly at realizing how successful her joke was, and remembers something she said the last time while she was here that fits this occasion quite well.

"You remembered my name. What an honor for me."

Having recovered from her shock, Zelda realizes her guards still stand at the ready, and don't realize what is going on.

"It's alright."

She motions to them with her hand, and the guards slowly and apprehensively return to what they were doing. Zelda's attention quickly returns to the person in front of her, as she still cannot believe who she is looking at.

"I didn't expect to see you again."

Her fellow princess smiles again.

"I never planned on returning here, but suffice it to say I've had a change of heart. I wish to discuss the possibility of an alliance between our two worlds."

These sudden events might have taken most people by surprise, but Zelda continued as if this wasn't the case, outside of a moment to consider this offer.

"Alright. Is that even possible?"

"Our peoples once walked this land together, and some of us have no problem going between the realms right now. I believe that over time all of us would be able to again."

While Zelda wonders at the timing of this, she has to admit that she actually had a similar thought the last time Midna was here. It made sense then, as it does now, but there would still be many difficulties to get past. Perhaps Midna had worked some of them out in the time since they had last seen each other. At any rate, this isn't the place to discuss such matters.

"Well, there is no need to talk of this out here. Please come in, although I must apologize for the mess at the moment."

As the two princesses start walking toward what's finished of the castle, Midna looks up at the scaffolding around it and embarrassingly smiles as she remembers that battle against Ganon that didn't go as well as she'd hoped.

"Oh, sorry about that."


	5. A Great Danger

The aforementioned Castle Town appears to be the one true bastion of life in all of Hyrule. Whichever citizens who just happen to be milling around a large fountain in the town's apparent center easily outnumber anyone else we've seen so far in this rather empty land. Four paths lead away from this circular fountain in the cardinal directions, while two-story shops and other columned buildings line the sides of the area.

These citizens appear to come in all shapes and sizes, and are moving at all different speeds. Some are rushing off to who knows where, while others are moving at a more leisurely pace. Still more are stationary and mingling with each other, either next to the fountain or in a café along the side of the path. A preacher stands watch outside of his house of worship, while a doorman does the same outside of a fancy-looking shop, A shoeshine boy waits near him looking for a customer, while a four-piece band plays some tunes on Renaissance era instruments on the other side of the path. A few guards even march through in apparent demonstration.

And then there's Link, who no one seems to notice despite his fame for saving the world. It's just as well, because he isn't noticing them much either, nor are his thoughts directed on any of them. After all this time and everything he's been through (including the day's long journey), he might finally get to see her again. Or whoever it was that made that portal in the desert, but it's almost certainly her. And she would probably come here to see Zelda, which would seem to make sense. He would find out soon enough, at any rate.

It's funny. Even though he was only in his mid teens during his quest, he faced monsters who had to be three to four times his height many times, along with that giant Ganondorf who stood much taller than any man he had ever met before. He was just a boy with virtually no experience in anything outside of goat herding, and was suddenly thrown into a massive and lengthy quest to save the world. And he was successful. Despite all of that, he couldn't remember being more nervous than he is right now. The adrenaline is pumping, as is his heart quite rapidly, and he really wasn't sure why he felt like this. Not that he'd ever show it, of course. Anyone who might have looked at him wouldn't know he was feeling anything at the moment.

"Link!"

And someone is looking at him. Link breaks his gaze away from the path leading to the castle to see who is calling him, although he is pretty sure he recognized the voice. This turns to absolute certainty as he looks to see a man wearing some light armor with a sword strapped to his back. It's Rusl, his mentor from the village.

"Link, my boy!"

Rusl reaches Link's position and the two greet each other with a manly slap-hug. They quickly pull apart and peruse each other for but a moment before Rusl continues.

"It's always good to see you again."

Link nods to return the sentiment, but Rusl quickly turns serious.

"I was hoping I would, actually. Our group has just been summoned to a meeting at Telma's Bar, and it sounds like we could use your help. I've been told a great danger may once again threaten Hyrule, and we will need the strength of all of us if this is the case."

Link had hoped he wouldn't hear something like this for a while, but knowing Hyrule's history, he was always prepared for it. Still, he couldn't imagine what sort of threat there could be, but this wasn't any different from when the Twili first arrived.

"You would honor us all with your presence if you came to the meeting with me."

This request makes Link gaze longingly down the path in front of him. Much as he might have wanted otherwise, any sort of reunion would have to wait. Protecting the people of Hyrule was his duty, and it had to come first. He would find out soon enough what this new threat was. After a moment's thought, Link nods to Rusl in acceptance.

***

The wooden door swings open to Telma's Bar, as Rusl and Link walk inside. Even at first glance, it is obvious that the place is more than just a bar. Sure, an actual bar lies right near the door on the right, but the room extends for a ways opposite this bar, with many tables and chairs that could easily be a restaurant as well, although all of them are empty at the moment. Straight ahead from the door lies a sort of open back room, with a large table that a number of people are sitting around.

Link recognizes them all, including the ample-bosomed middle-aged woman currently tending bar. The eponymous Telma, who greets the two warriors as they enter.

"Ah Rusl, and Link!"

Link can only smile and nod at her obvious surprise.

"Well, honey, it's good to see you're doing well. Let me pour you a glass of milk on the house, alright?"

The expression on Link's face turns sheepish, and even more so when she winks at him. As Telma pours the milk, Link notices a white cat standing near the bar. He smiles and bends down to pet her.

"How're you doing, Louise?"

Louise meows in response. This vocal exchange might have seemed strange to Rusl and the others if they had seen it, although it wouldn't have if they had been through what Link had. However, Rusl proceeded on to join the rest of the group, while Link now turns to do the same.

Telma finished pouring the milk in the interim, so Link makes sure to fetch the bottle off of the bar top. Instead of drinking it, Link pulls a stopper out of nowhere, puts it into the bottle, and twists it into place. He then holds the bottle stationary for a moment, before putting it into his back pocket. No one else seems to notice this reaction.

Rusl sits down in an empty chair next to the others, while Link moves over toward the table to stand beside it. The other three members are at their usual places. Auru, a bearded older gentleman who wears some light armor similar to Rusl's, sits in the center next to Rusl. Ashei, the group's apparent lone female whose dark braided hair seems to clash with the heavy black and red armor that covers the rest of her body, stands to Auru's left side. And Shad, a bespectacled gentleman who wears neither armor nor a sword, preferring a book instead, occupies the final chair.

With Link's arrival, Auru begins the meeting as he acknowledges the assembled.

"I want to thank you all for coming, especially Link, to whom we shall all forever be in debt."

Auru motions with his arm toward Link, which causes the other members of the group to silently acknowledge him as well with subtle nods. Still somewhat flattered despite being "the hero", Link nods to return their sentiments. Auru soon continues.

"Now, we have all enjoyed the peace of the past few years, but I am afraid to report that we may once again be facing a time of peril. Ashei?"

Auru turn to look at Ashei, who becomes a bit animated as she relates her story.

"Yeah so I was over here in Castle Town earlier, and this dark creature wearing this really big, strange looking gray helmet just rolls on through. So we're all thinking, oh no, that Zant guy's back', right? Then this thing just keeps going right up to the castle. gotta believe that Princess Zelda's in danger."

The concern on everyone's face over this is obvious. Rusl addresses Ashei while the others contemplate what this may mean.

"There hasn't been any word from her since then?"

Ashei shakes her head no, but before she can speak again, Telma does so instead, having recently moved over from her position at the bar to join the group.

"Well, one of the guards came in earlier, and he said he overheard the princess mention the name 'Midna', and that the two of them went into the castle together."

Link's eyes widen as another shot of adrenaline rushes through him.

_She _is_ here_.

Shad didn't notice this reaction, but addresses Link anyways.

"Now Link, I recall seeing you accompanied by a member of the Twili when we were in those caverns underneath Kakariko. Do you think this Midna can be trusted?"

The entire room falls silent. The wave of expectation is practically palpable. The eyes of every person, cat, and probably some bugs are all trained on Link. He looks back at the group, and uses a few breaths to buy some time. Finally, he can delay no longer.

"We trusted each other with our lives many times during our adventure. If she _is_ here, I have no doubt her intentions are honorable."

Unfortunately, this isn't enough to appease the group's worry. Auru continues on in an attempt to deal with the recent news.

"This doesn't feel right to me. These Twili first came to our world with no warning and started terrorizing this land, and after we struggled to drive them out, they have now found a way to return."

Ashei follows.

"Yeah, and who knows? There could be more of them just waiting to come in at any time."

This is beginning to become absurd to Link, but his protest is not heard by the rest of the group.

"I assure you there's nothing to worry about."

Auru continues talking without missing a beat from Ashei's last statement.

"I think we need to assume the worst. We should spread word throughout Hyrule and tell the people to prepare for a possible full-scale invasion. They won't catch us off guard again."

Shad again turns to speak to Link, having not noticed his earlier objection.

"And Link, since you seem to have better knowledge of these people, perhaps you could track down their entrance to this world and stop them at the source."

Link may normally be able to hide his feelings from other people, but this time he is not being successful. His sour mood is quite apparent to everyone assembled, even though the reason for it is not. Rusl says what everyone else is thinking.

"Is there a problem, Link?"

Link breathes a few more times in hesitation.

"I don't understand why any of this is necessary."

Rusl does his best to explain.

"Listen, Link, it sounds like you spent some time with this Midna, but how well do you really know her? I don't want this to sound mean, but have you ever considered that maybe she was just using you to help her people?"

The anger that had been building in Link finally reached its boiling point. Perhaps he lost control for a moment, or maybe he did what he had to for them to understand.

Suddenly, and without warning, Link draws his sword, and makes two swipes that narrowly avoid hitting Shad and Rusl.

"Hya, hya…HEYAHHHH!"

With a mighty slash downward, Link's sword makes contact with the table. The force of the blow pushes it entirely through the table, splitting the table into two. This loud shot is followed by the dull clattering of the table's parts falling to the floor.

The members of the group all stare at Link in stunned silence, and he meets their gazes with an intense one of his own. His calm yet direct response would contradict anyone who thought he might have lost it.

"Anyone who has a problem with Midna, also has a problem with me. I suggest you remember that before you try to do anything foolish."

Link sheathes his sword, and, not having entered the place with an intent to cause property damage, takes a few rupees out of his back pocket and throws them at the table, as it's doubtful anyone would have wanted to approach him at that moment anyways. With nothing left to say, Link turns around and walks out the door.

***

It is now late evening outside, and the bustle has died down considerably as Link approaches the fountain in the center of Castle Town. He was really just trying to calm down from that meeting, but figured he should try to see Zelda at any rate, if only to find out what was going on.

After a few steps into the square with his head down, Link looks up to see that he wouldn't have to go all the way to the castle to see Zelda. She was standing at the edge of the path that led to the castle, with two guards watching right behind her. And she was talking. To a tall woman. With strangely-colored skin and dark features. It could have been three years or three hundred, and he'd still have recognized her immediately.

_Oh, shi-_


	6. At Your Service

Link pulls the bottle of milk out of his back pocket, uncorks the stopper, and with a strange "why not" look chugs the entire bottle in just a few gulps. He wipes his mouth clean, and turns to consider the situation again. The various princesses in front of him had yet to notice him, and even though Link theoretically could've bailed, he found himself almost being pulled toward them. It must be some sort of force, because there was no way he would have otherwise had the strength to move his legs in their direction. Link's nerves were infinitely worse than when he merely might have possibly been about to see her, but as usual (and unlike just moments before), this would not be apparent to anyone outside of him.

The two princesses break off their conversation as they notice Link approaching, and likewise do not betray any feelings in seeing him. Except for perhaps a bit of pleasant surprise. Zelda is the first to greet him.

"Ah, Link. It's good that you're here. Princess Midna is returning to the Twilight Realm, and she requires an escort to the Gerudo Desert to do so."

_You gotta be…but she just got here!_

Link looks into Midna's eyes for the first time in years, and yet it seemed that no time had passed from the last time he did so. His reaction to the news changes almost immediately, as even this short time is more than he ever thought he'd get again.

"Of course."

Then Link draws his sword and moves the tip to touch the ground as he drops to one knee in front of Midna, bowing his head over the sword after he has done so.

"I am at your service, my liege."

An absolutely exaggerated and unnecessary gesture, which Midna recognizes. Despite her best attempts, she is unable to suppress a giggle. Zelda pretends not to notice any of this, and turns to address Midna again, while Link rises from his feet and returns to his previous position.

"We shall talk again about this."

"That's all I ask."

With a smile, Midna takes her leave from Zelda, as Link motions ahead with his sword down the path in front of them that leads away from the castle and eventually out of Castle Town. She nods in acknowledgement, and the two proceed slowly down the path. As they move out of sight, Zelda motions to her two guards, and they lean in towards her as she speaks.

"Follow them."

They nod and start down the same path, but are careful to keep out of sight of Link and Midna.

_There's no way I'm missing this._

***

Midna and Link walk through a different part of Castle Town now, right past the house of worship. She looks at him a few times, as he alternates looking at the path ahead with looking down. After a moment, she says something.

"Thank you for coming with me."

Link nods, but continues walking without saying anything. This is typical behavior from the hero, whose quietness had become almost as legendary as his deeds. An average person shouldn't be surprised or offended by this reaction, which Midna, well, hoped that she wasn't to him. This thought causes her expression to turn worried, and she decides she might as well address the obvious problem.

"I know you're probably mad at me, but I hoped you'd understand why I had to destroy the mirror."

"I'm not mad," Link speaks while still looking ahead. "I came to the same conclusion before you did, actually. I didn't want to believe it, but I knew why it had to happen."

This only succeeded in alleviating a portion of Midna's uneasiness, which was better than nothing. She probably should've expected this reaction, but never really thought she'd get it. Still, he didn't seem very happy about it. Hmm.

"Well that's good, I suppose. How have you been since then?"

"Well, you can't take a day off from being the hero. Wish I could say I've had more hero-like duties to do that weren't fighting some Bokoblins or escorting some worried person across Hyrule."

Link's sudden nonchalant attitude meant he didn't realize what he just said for a moment, but this realization happens quickly as his face goes through numerous looks of worry. After taking a long time to decide how to react to it, he finally is able to speak again.

"I mean, present company excluded, of course."

"Of course." Midna smiles at the situation, while Link continues on.

"I still have that controlling interest in Malo Mart to keep me afloat at least, and I make a few appearances a year at the STAR tent, you know, to put on a show for the fans." Link glances quickly at Midna before letting out a quiet sigh. "I assume your activities have been much more interesting."

Midna's expression turns more serious as she quickly remembers what has happened over the past three years in the Twilight.

"It's taken a while to undo all the damage Zant caused."

"I hope you redecorated."

"That was the first thing!" _He always knows how to make me laugh_. "I really wish you could see it now. The palace feels so much more alive than that dreary place Zant turned it in to."

Midna breathes in and out, which is able to return her serious mood.

"It hasn't been as easy with my people, but they're strong, and I think they're finally starting to recover from what happened."

She turns her head to look at Link again, who meets her eyes if for but a moment.

"And I'm sorry about having to leave so soon, but I'm not going to abandon them like I did before."

Link nods at this, as the two of them pass through the large open gate that signals the end of Castle Town. Ahead of them lies a large wooden bridge over a moat, with Link's horse waiting at the end of it. As they continue walking, Midna takes a breath before continuing the conversation.

_Here we go_. "It's too bad, since I really wouldn't mind seeing everyone again."

"They're not too different. The kids have all grown. You probably wouldn't even recognize Beth, and I think Malo's head is finally poking over the counter."

Midna smiles as she remembers the enterprising four-year-old from Link's village, who took over an abandoned shop and made it a success, with it even becoming a franchise while they were still on their adventure. Only in Hyrule, apparently.

"And this kid's supporting you?"

Link realized they both knew this wasn't the case exactly, but someone so young already entering the business world was quite unusual.

"He says it's his calling, and he's already a bigger hero than me in Castle Town. And even if anybody had a problem with it,"

Link smiles slyly at Midna as he moves his hand to tap the handle of his sheathed sword on his back.

"I'd have to insist they let him."

Midna returns the smile, knowing full well he's only "probably" joking, but it disappears quickly as she readies her next question, which Link unfortunately had yet to address. She wishes she didn't have to ask it at this point, but she has to know.

"And what about that girl from your town, Ilia?"

No reaction from Link, so Midna has to continue. She figured her next words to be the hardest she ever uttered.

"Are you, together?"

Link's response to this takes only a few seconds, although it felt like hours to Midna. A silent shake of his head sends a number of emotions through Midna, although like her companion she displays none of them. Whether any of them matched up with how she expected to feel couldn't be answered, since she never honestly considered this possibility. If she chose to be alone, she was the only one who had to deal with it. As close as they were three years ago, she never would have expected him to do the same, especially after what she did. So her relief was tempered by the unhappiness of a realized selfish desire, which she didn't like that she had.

"I didn't want you to be alone."

Now it's Link's turn to go through a number of emotions, which he displays through a few facial expressions. He had to admit that his situation seemed to snowball over the past three years, although he would never admit the reason why.

"I wasn't trying to be. I always expected that I'd end up marrying Ilia."

"I hope I didn't ruin things for you."

This statement causes Link to look at Midna in a bit of surprise, as he wasn't trying to blame any of this on her. She probably thought Ilia was jealous when she found out how much time he and Midna had spent together, or something, which wasn't exactly the case. He shakes his head in an attempt to put this thought out of her mind.

"No, no. She isn't right for me at all. I don't…"

"You don't love her."

This wasn't what Link was trying to say at all. He was trying to say…well, what was he trying to say? That was it, essentially. It summed everything up, at least. After thinking about this for a moment more, Link shakes his head to agree with Midna's assertion. As this produces a temporary break in the conversation, Link takes the opportunity to shift the focus off of him, since his lack of a love life isn't something he really wanted to discuss.

"Yeah, well, I'm sure you haven't had the problems I've had in that area."

Midna responds to this with a nervous smile.

"Well, no, there are plenty of suitors that come to the palace."

The two of them reach the end of the wooden bridge, and stop in front of Link's horse, who seems to pay them no heed. Midna continues, with her nervousness starting to become apparent.

"So many, I don't even think I can remember them all."

She pauses before again turning serious.

"I know I can pretty much have any guy I want there."

A number of thoughts go through her head at this point, and she smiles ironically at one of them.

"But with them, I'm always the princess."

Midna tries to smile at this last statement, but it would have been a fake one if she had. Her words touch off a wave of emotion in her that she hadn't expected, and she knows she can't pretend any longer. With a sudden motion, Midna reaches out to grab the hero in front of her, and hugs him tightly.

"Oh, Link."

Her unexpected actions and whispered words catch Link off guard, but he almost instinctively knows she needs to be held. And so he does, as the moon and stars illuminate the scene, with a gentle breeze rustling some nearby trees and his horse still silently standing watch.

And with the two guards observing from the other side of the bridge.


	7. Right Away

They say that Lake Hylia is a beautiful place, with the view off the Great Bridge of Hylia perhaps being the most breathtaking of any to be found in all of Hyrule. It's not just the large descent into the blue lake below, but the unparalleled view of Hyrule on both sides that doesn't exist anywhere else in the kingdom. Even being on the lake itself allows for plenty of picturesque views, as the numerous tiny islands that dot the lake's south side provide an opportunity to experience the true grandeur of the giant body of water.

Of course, this is during the day. At night, it's pitch black and therefore difficult to see much of anything. Even the celestial bodies overhead fail to illuminate anything substantial, making that particular photon's seconds to thousands of years journey sadly futile.

Not that Link and Midna seem to mind. They bound their way between the islands over a number of wooden bridges, to a destination that is unknown for the moment. The apprehension and posturing of their previous exchange has entirely disappeared, and has been replaced by a genuinely happy feeling that neither could remember experiencing for a long time.

"So what did you think when you first saw me?"

Link smiles in response to Midna's potentially loaded question, because he knows she isn't expecting his response.

"I liked you right away."

And he is right. Midna reacts in disbelief, as the memories of her time as an imp (thanks to a horrid curse by Zant) and her first meeting with Link flash through her mind.

"You couldn't have! I was so horrible back then! And ugly…"

"I miss the fang."

An unfortunate consequence of her transformation was one long and sharp tooth that extended past the rest. However, Midna quickly learned how to hide it, which meant most of the time it was unnoticeable. She had hoped that Link hadn't noticed it, but always knew this was to no avail. Of course, it should have been obvious to him that she didn't like it, so the fact that he was able to deliver the line so nonchalantly means he is well deserving of a slap to his arm. This reaction quickly brings a smile to Link's lips, as he explains further.

"I know, there was something very likable about you, even if it was kind of awkward at times."

Midna actually understands this better than Link might have thought.

"I liked you right away, too. I kind of have this instinct about people. I can see things about them even if I don't know them yet. It sounds strange, but I knew I could trust you."

"And I knew you were jealous any time Ilia came up."

"I was not!"

Of course she was.

"Because you didn't care about anyone from the Light World."

"I didn't!"

Midna admitted as much the last time she was here. She wasn't proud of her selfish motives in seeking out Link, even if the time shortly after she was cursed could be considered temporary insanity. That didn't make it right, even if everything turned out…well, it turned out. Meeting Link had the unexpected effect of bringing her back to normal, along with a few other unexpected effects.

And he was right, of course. She remembered the look in his eyes when they found Ilia again, and the way he acted when they were around her. Ilia was beautiful, and she was _there_, while Midna was just an ugly thing on Link's back, or worse, in his shadow. She knew she didn't stand a chance, and she remembered wondering why she cared so much. Her goal was to restore the Twilight to its previous state, while the Light World wasn't her responsibility. She never had the burning hate that Zant and Ganondorf did of its inhabitants, but neither was she fond of the people who exiled her ancestors to the Twilight in the first place. And this boy she met (in jail, no less) was really just a tool for her to use to get what she wanted. He was cute, of course, but then there was something more. She couldn't remember ever feeling that way about anyone else before, and for all the heartache it caused, she often wondered if all of it was worth it.

This wasn't one of those times, though. As annoying as he was being right now, she enjoyed that he wasn't afraid to stand up to her. Which is something she couldn't say about anyone in the Twilight, especially now. It comes with being part of a royal family, which Midna understood, although she never imagined that she'd meet someone who didn't know her title first. Her modesty after the curse turned out to be fortunate, strangely enough.

Unfortunately though, Midna and Link have to scale it back a bit as they are approaching their destination. On one of the islands stands a rather strange looking hut, with a disproportionately tall pink, orange, and blue roof and a large clamp holding some sort of counterweight on the side. At the base of the house stands an equally strange looking man, who wears many of the same colors that appear on his house. His bright pink shirt is unfortunately tied off to show all of his beer belly, while his blue pants almost look like jeans with hearts drawn on the knees. He wears black sandals, while a somewhat long green and brown hat and his partially made-up face suggest the appearance of a clown, although it's of one who couldn't be bothered to finish the job he started. Thankfully, his pleasant demeanor at seeing two people approach his shack washes away any fears that his appearance would reflect on his personality.

"Jealous."

Link manages to get in one more shot before they come to stop in front of the man. Midna therefore can't respond to this, and can only shoot Link an appropriate look instead. Fortunately, the man doesn't seem to notice this exchange.

"Well, back again, huh?"

He greets Link first, but then notices the tall woman next to him whom he hasn't seen before.

"Oh, and with a lovely lady this time, too."

Midna smiles in acknowledgement.

"Heh, heh, well she's certainly in for a treat. The height of excitement, the thrill of launching to the heavens, the peak of flying fantastication, and all for a paltry ten rupees a piece. What do you say?"

"A piece?"

Link's incredulous response might have been because those two words differed from the usual spiel he's heard many times before. It certainly couldn't have been because Link was too cheap to pay double now than what he normally did.

"You know, you can hide in my shadow again if you're scared."

Midna of course knew exactly what this meant.

"I'll be fine."

Link can only shrug this response off, and only slightly grudgingly pulls a red rupee out from his back pocket to hand to the man in front of him.

"Fyer, my man, you drive a hard bargain. Go ahead and keep this thing pointed at the Gerudo Desert, alright?"

"Sure thing, right this way."

Apparently the way he means is obvious enough, because he makes no motion or other indication as to what the two customers should do, but merely steps out of the way. Link motions for Midna to go ahead of him, and the two proceed into the large opening in the front of the house. As Midna steps in, Link instead turns around and shouts something off into the distance.

"I'll take it from here, guys! Don't worry!"

If anyone had squinted hard enough, they would have been able to just make out the figures of the two guards standing a couple of islands away. Two guards who up until now thought they had stealthily avoided detection. Clearly not. With their cover blown, they can only raise their hands to wave back at Link, before turning to begin their trek back to the castle.

In the meantime, Link enters the house as well, and the door closes after he does. Fyer walks over to the other side of a house, where a sort of mini-calliope stands. He starts to turn the crank on the side of this instrument, which causes a number of things to start happening. As the buttons on the side of the instrument start to move in and out, a circus-like theme starts to emanate from it. While the theme continues, the house itself starts to turn, and the roof of the house starts to open up. With the house apparently completing its rotation toward the desert, a canon rises up out of it, and it too aligns itself in the direction of the desert. The canon charges up, and then suddenly explodes, sending both Link and Midna flying and screaming through the air.

***

The Gerudo Desert may be small by Earth desert standards, but it still remains a formidable sight in either day or night. It's not just the relative emptiness of the sand, but that the whole of it is essentially isolated from the rest of Hyrule. Thus, it preserves the desert feeling that escape is impossible despite it being only a cannon's shot away from the reservoir that is Lake Hylia.

And here comes something now, from the sound of it. Two separate (but not too desperate or terrible) screams can be heard, signaling the arrival of Link and Midna at their destination. Despite being shot head first from the cannon, they have somehow rotated so that they are falling feet first, and both land perfectly on the soft sand. Neither suffers any injury all, although Midna looks slightly shaken as this was her first time being shot through the air like that.

"That was different."

"I told you to hide in my shadow."

"And miss that experience!"

As Fyer would cower at the sight of a wolf asking for a ride in his machine, Link could only ride in his normal form, during which Midna would hide in Link's shadow so as not to be too conspicuous (the ability to do this is connected to the dimensional shift between their two worlds). Even though this meant she went on every journey Link made, it wasn't nearly the same as doing it for real.

Being a somewhat short journey, and since they survived without a scratch, Midna quickly recovers from her shock to observe the vast desert in front of her.

"I don't think I feel like going through the Arbiter's Grounds again. Do you mind if we just warp to the Mirror Chamber instead?"

Another ability Midna had was to teleport anywhere throughout Hyrule, which cut down on the massive travel times, and allowed access to otherwise isolated places like the desert. However, the catch was that each destination required a portal, similar to the one Link just saw at the Mirror Chamber (although none of the original ones were direct connections to the Twilight like the one currently there). As they had disappeared after Midna's destruction of the mirror, Link had assumed warping was no longer possible for her here, which is why she had to take the long way back to her world.

"You can do that?"

"Sure, why not?"

"So, why didn't we just warp there from the castle?"

Midna couldn't help a large smile spreading across her lips.

"Why indeed?"

Or a short giggle. As Link also did not have the desire to trek through the onetime dungeon and prison again (as he unfortunately had to do every time now if he wanted to visit the Mirror Chamber), he nods his acquiescence.

Midna makes a large sweeping motion with her hand down to the ground, which causes another green and black portal to appear. Link joins Midna on top of this portal, and piece by piece, the two disappear from sight.

***

And reappear in familiar fashion, as piece by piece rains down from the sky onto the ground of the Mirror Chamber. Midna and Link are whole again in a matter of seconds, and find themselves right next to the mirror stand. Unfortunately, this means it's time for Midna to say her goodbyes. She turns to Link and gazes into his eyes

"The portal's only temporary, but I do plan on returning here again."

Midna glances at the portal before finishing her parting words, but something catches her eye before she can turn back to Link. She starts walking over to the portal, and a curious Link of course follows behind her. Instead of its usual stationary self, the portal is now flickering a bit, and oscillating in size.

"Something's wrong."

That's putting it mildly, but Midna isn't sure what yet. Unfortunately, there was only one way to find out. She turns to face Link, and quickly finds her arms resting on his.

"I have to go."

There was a time when Link thought that if he was faced with this situation again, there would be no way that he'd let her go, at least not without saying something first. But any thought of doing this vanished with just a look into Midna's eyes.

"Okay."

Before they can begin some sort of awkward embrace or other lengthy goodbye, Midna suddenly pulls Link close, and rests her cheek on his as she speaks directly into his ear.

"Don't worry, my handsome hero, I promise you'll see me again. Just as soon as I totally destroy whoever's trying to close the portal."

Just as suddenly, she kisses him on the cheek, and then quickly pulls away from him to move over to the portal. She turns to give Link a quick smile, before the pieces of her disappear into the portal. As soon as she is gone, the portal flickers a bit, and then it too disappears from sight.

Which leaves a stunned Link alone again, and not really sure what to make of the events that just happened. All sorts of questions were flying through his head, even though he knew he couldn't answer any of them. Of course, her final words from the last time she left, "see you later", also went through his head, although this time, he couldn't see any reason not to trust her.

***

Janaro stood on the Twilight side of the portal, along with his six volunteers. Their magic may not be as advanced as their leader's, and granted, they've never actually closed a portal before, but they were doing what they could, and progress seemed to be being made. The flickering and oscillating suggested they were close to their goal of closing it, but suddenly, the portal flattened out to its normal size again. If one of the other Twili hadn't said anything, Janaro's delay in assessing the situation would have cost him and his companions dearly.

"I think someone's coming through."

Janaro realized he was right immediately, and there was only one person it could be. It had already been some time since she left, but unfortunately telling time was something of a problem in perpetual twilight. Clearly they didn't have much more left.

"Alright, everyone get out of here now. We'll meet back at the tavern. Go, go!"

The other Twili didn't have to think long before stopping their magic and teleporting back to their meeting place. And none too soon, as someone was already beginning to materialize out of the portal. Janaro didn't fancy finding out for sure what he already knew, and so with the other Twili gone, he quickly joined them.

Midna could just make out someone disintegrating as she became fully assembled again, but unfortunately didn't have the time to see who it was. She found herself again on the familiar part of land where the Mirror of Twilight portal used to exist, but a few steps around and turns of her head could find no one else in the vicinity. Midna had been forced to quickly leave Link and the Light World behind again, and now didn't even have the satisfaction of punishing those who forced her to leave. She wasn't sure exactly what was going on, but this dissent meant that she probably wasn't going to be able to return to the Light World for a while. And in the meantime, she was alone. Again. The frustration of all of this welled up inside of her.

"AH!"


	8. No Word

One small ray of sunshine has finally completed its lengthy eight minute journey, and has come to shine through a small pear-shaped window on the top balcony inside a large treehouse. It quickly passes through the window to finally (and improbably) touch something solid. This naturally only lasts much less than a second, as the light rebounds off this object to journey elsewhere.

Link doesn't notice this event happening again and again, as he continues to sleep on a handmade wooden bed that takes up much of the space of this small wooden balcony. Sure, he would've woken up eventually, when his body's internal clock would signal for him to return to his normal function. Unfortunately, something else did this first.

"LINK! LINK!"

A boy's voice calls from outside, but despite the material between him and his intended target, the sound is loud enough to start to wake Link. His quiet groans as he begins to move a bit are self-explanatory.

"LINK! GET UP!"

_What do you think I'm doing?_ Link's anger at being aroused from his sleep only lasts a bit longer than the time it takes for the light outside to bounce off of him. The boy was right. He should have been up by now. Grudgingly, Link finds the strength to push himself off of his bed, and he begins to descend the ladder attached to this balcony.

***

Link's house may technically qualify as a treehouse, since it is built in a tree. But, rather than a makeshift clubhouse, it is actually a full-fledged abode that sits atop of a large trunk, as the rest of the tree was likely used to build the house that now exits on it. Still, this hasn't stopped green leaves from growing on the sides of the trunk and the house itself, which help the house blend in with its forest surroundings. However, the area in front of the house remains cleared, as it also does down the paths that lead away from it.

The wooden door with a round window at its top opens, and Link groggily walks out. He walks over to the ladder that stands at the edge of the trunk, and climbs down it to reach the ground level. He passes a sign with some illegible writing framed by a metal circle to meet the boy standing a short distance away. He appears to be around 10 or 11, and his traditional apparel might seem strange to an outsider, although it seems to resemble the old clothing of the samurai. A red band tied around his head, and a larger yellow one around his waist aren't necessarily too different, although his white top that looks like a tanktop and his apparent blue skirt (with a ceremonial cloth hanging from it) are more so. He also carries a wooden sword and shield, which resemble the ones Link carries on his back but are of obviously less quality.

"It's time for my sword lesson. Did you forget?"

Link shakes his head and offers a slightly embarrassed smile at his tardiness and having to be woken up by his student. Even though he had never really thought of being a teacher while growing up, he certainly wasn't going to forget a lesson. Not after he went through his own lessons three years ago with that strange warrior, or should he say ghost? The man's appearance was that of only a skeleton, and he only appeared to Link in a bright and different dimension that seemed to exist above Hyrule. It might even have been a dream, but the techniques he taught were real, and they helped Link immensely on his quest. What was also strange was that this man was left-handed like Link, and he apparently could also appear in the form of a wolf, which was how Link found him throughout Hyrule. He went through the possibilities of what this meant many times, although it didn't really matter who that great warrior was or if and when he existed.

What did matter was passing on his sword techniques, which Link's former teacher regretted never doing in life. Link made up his mind to be different in this regard, and resolved to be available if any of the children in town ever wished to learn. Although he never expected it to be Talo. The older brother of his "business partner", Talo nevertheless seemed much less mature, and was either impulsive or almost bullying to the other children. Despite this, Talo took to Link's lessons quickly, and was actually quite impressive for someone his age. And after he thought about it, Link realized it actually made sense that Talo would come to him to learn, since Colin had his father Rusl to teach him if he wanted, and Malo was obviously busy with his own business.

As the two of them walk over to the middle of the clearing in front of his house, Link draws his sword and brings his shield to the ready.

"First, show me what you learned from last week."

Link's teacher had always started off like that, although Link didn't know why or think about it at first. He soon realized that this was a good way to keep his earlier lessons fresh in his memory, and since it was so helpful, he incorporated it into his own lessons.

Also like those lessons, Talo and Link touch their swords together before starting the battle in seeming earnest. They both have their shields pointed at each other while they move around the area in front of Link's house, and watch each other as if waiting for someone to make the first move. Shortly, Talo does, as he takes his sword out for a powerful smash toward Link, who easily blocks this maneuver with his shield. But this attack was merely a preparation for Talo's next move, as he then takes his shield and thrusts it toward Link. This catches our hero off guard, and he stumbles backwards a step, leaving himself open for attack. Talo takes the opportunity, and brings his sword down towards Link with a loud shout. At the last moment, Link blocks this blow with his shield.

The fight stops, and the two quickly return to normal.

"Good, you are doing well. It's time to learn a new technique."

Link and Talo walk over to the side of his house now, where there exists a larger setup for training. Five targets are strewn throughout the trees, although their destination is the human-sized dummy in front of them. This dummy is attached to a spring so that it can bounce back and forth with ease, and also has a pumpkin for a head.

"I shall now teach you the back slice."

Link still remembers how dramatic his teacher made the announcing of a new technique sound.

"I used this one more than any of the other techniques, and it helped me beat some of the toughest enemies, so you'll want to remember this."

This certainly wasn't a lie. Not only did this technique help Link beat those gigantic knights called Darknuts, but it was practically the only thing that had any chance of working on Ganondorf, whose incredible defense could block almost any attack. He might not have been able to save Hyrule without it.

Link turns to face the dummy with his sword and shield at the ready, and quickly begins to perform the attack. He jumps to the side of the dummy, and does a fast somersault onto the ground. This brings him around to the back of the dummy, and as soon as Link gets there, he jumps up and slashes the dummy with his sword. This produces a loud thud from the dummy, and it oscillates back and forth from the blow. Link then walks over to where Talo is standing again.

"It's not too hard. You want to roll around the enemy and slash them before they know what's going on. Give it a try."

Talo faces the dummy just like Link did a moment ago, with his sword and shield at the ready. Then just as suddenly, he jumps toward the ground at the side of the dummy, attempting to do the athletic somersault that Link just did. He doesn't get quite as far as Link, but he jumps up anyways to attack the dummy, which again produces a similar thud.

Link nods in approval, but then he finds his attention drawn by footsteps approaching behind him. He turns to look at who it is, and sees one of the many guards from Hyrule Castle coming his way.

"Link! It's good that I found you."

The guard comes to a stop in front of Link, as Talo also moves over by Link to see what is going on.

"Princess Zelda requires your presence at the castle. It is an urgent matter regarding the Twili."

Hmm, is Midna back already? And she didn't come to see Link first? Wait, what if she was in trouble, or there was a problem with her return. There was no time to quibble over potentially hurt feelings. Zelda wouldn't send out a messenger for Link if it wasn't exactly as he said.

"Of course. I shall leave right away."

Unfortunately, this means the lesson is over for now, which Link turns to inform Talo of.

"Sorry, Talo. Guess we'll have to finish up when I get back."

"That's alright. Pretty soon it'll be the princess calling me to the castle instead of you."

Much as Link would love an early retirement, he wasn't actually all that much older than Talo was, and thus wasn't nearly ready to relinquish his title yet. Certainly he didn't want to entertain the thoughts of being lost in battle, which of course was always a possibility. Still, he had to admire the kid's spunk.

"Perhaps."

***

Even though work was progressing slowly on the new Hyrule Castle, Link still had to admire how much the completed sections of the ground floor looked like the old one. As he walks through the large foyer, he remembers the battles he fought on what seemed like this very ground, as Ganondorf's last-ditch efforts to stop him were naturally in vain. The true sight to see remained in front of him, as the hallway opened up into a large two story room, with decorative suits of armor all around, and a number of doors, both on the ground floor and on the balconies above. Link can see Zelda talking to a couple of guards in the middle of this room, and he heads over towards them.

Zelda looks up to see Link coming, but isn't sure why the hero has decided to pick this moment to drop in. The guards beside her stop their conversation as Link reaches their position.

"You sent for me, princess?"

This does nothing to alleviate Zelda's confusion. Her guards had reported most of the details of Link and Midna's return trip to the Gerudo Desert, and if anything had gone wrong after that, she certainly would have heard about it. With Midna back in the Twilight Realm, there wasn't really that much to say, so she saw no reason to send for Link to discuss a lot of nothing. But then why was he here?

Hmm. She did send a guard to fetch Link when Midna first arrived (and before she knew that's who it was), and since he appeared in Castle Town later on, she just assumed that…ah. And therein lies the problem.

"Yes, I suppose I did."

Zelda motions to the guards around her, and they nod before walking off to a different part of the castle. Zelda continues after they have done so.

"I trust Princess Midna returned safely to the Twilight Realm."

"Yes, although apparently just barely. She said someone was trying to close the portal, and made it back just in time. I've had no word from her since then."

Zelda nods as she takes in this news, and then responds.

"From what it sounds like, we will be hearing from her again, actually. Perhaps she has some unforeseen problems with her people that she must tend to before then."

The unfortunate pitfalls of being a ruler. You can't trust all of your people all of the time. Zelda takes a few steps away from Link as she considers all of this, and then turns to face him again.

"How much did she tell you about her reasons for coming back to our world?"

"She said that her people were still angry with us."

So essentially not much, although it was probably enough, which Zelda could all too easily understand.

"And I think that Hyrule feels the same way about them. I'm not sure either of our peoples would be ready for this, but I see the logic in what she suggests."

She saw it three years ago too, but no doubt like Link, she was unable to convince Midna of anything back then. So despite the circumstances, her general lack of surprise at what had happened recently was for a reason.

"I am very familiar with the stories regarding the Twili's departure from this world, and had I not met Midna, I would not have thought it possible for someone like her to exist in the Twilight. Her people are lucky to have a ruler who would willingly sacrifice everything for them, and who will not be corrupted by the immense power she holds. This disturbing news you bring me suggests they may not realize how lucky they are. Unfortunately, there is little we can do at the present."

A perhaps unpopular trait of the ruler of Hyrule, but an important one nonetheless. Of course, unlike last time, with no access or possibility of communication with the Twilight, there really wasn't much to be done until Midna returned. Zelda takes a few steps closer to Link.

"I would of course value your input on this matter, but I don't believe I have to ask your feelings regarding a possible reunification with the Twili."

Zelda was probably the only other person in Hyrule who knew about Midna and what went on between her and Link, so there was little point in trying to hide anything from her. Link shakes his head no after a moment, after which Zelda continues.

"I want you to know that I plan to support Princess Midna and her efforts. My belief has always been that the goddesses' plan involved more than just knowing that the Twilight Realm existed. Perhaps this is what they intended, difficult as it will be. I don't think I need to fear that the people of Hyrule will have the same reaction as those in the Twilight, but I know they will not be happy about it."

Zelda pauses for a moment after this, and then has a thought.

"Since you seem to enjoy puzzles, I may have your most difficult one yet. Figure out how to show the people of Hyrule what we are able to see: that the Twili are actually not that different from us."

Strangely enough, the hardest part of having to traverse nine dungeons and temples during Link's quest wasn't fighting all of the monsters, but figuring out the various puzzles inside of them which would allow him to progress on his quest. Link particularly remembered the difficulty of getting the water to flow from one room to another in the Lakebed Temple, and of course there were those solitary ice blocks that had to be pushed onto a switch in the middle of ice. Among many others, although Link started to become pretty good at solving them by the time he was approaching the end of his adventure. Zelda was right that this situation was really just another puzzle, but Link could already see that it was much different this time, and much harder as well.


	9. Zant, King Of The Twilight

Along the side of the path that goes around the central fountain in Castle Town stands a shop. A shop to which the words famous and infamous equally apply. Once upon a time, this shop was the most expensive one in the land, with goods so overpriced that Link could never afford a single item even if he had been holding the plethora of rupees he was forced to leave strewn about Hyrule.

But then Link stepped in. Oh, why did he have to step in? Somehow (perhaps the shop was going out of business due to never selling a single item), he was able to bankroll a business partner to the tune of only 1,200 rupees (a small percentage of what any item went for in the shop), and this partner was able to purchase the shop and the goods inside. Instead of being the most expensive shop, it became the cheapest of any in Hyrule, and Link found himself going there many times after it was open. But all of this came at a price, of course.

Which Link is reminded of as he approaches the shop. Despite the fact that he had produced all of the money to acquire this store, his "partner"'s picture was the only one to grace the entrance. A boy of perhaps seven years, with his dark hair pulled back in a Japanese-style ponytail. Now, this wasn't necessarily a problem for Link, who didn't really have (or want) anything to do with the day-to-day operations of the shop. What was a problem was what this shop turned into after Malo took it over. Link always thought that it wouldn't be so bad this time every time he entered since he knew what to expect, and every time he was wrong. The collected experiences of each time he had been in the shop fill his head at the moment, and he takes a deep breath preparing for the worst. And then, grudgingly, he turns the knob to open the door, and walks inside.

***

The music is the first thing. It always is. A disgustingly upbeat tune, complete with whistles and other cheesy sound effects, that words in this case mercifully can't accurately describe. Unfortunately, words are also part of this despicable ditty.

"We're smart! We're smart! We bought it at Malo Mart!"

Two "customers" stand directly in front of Link, but instead of doing the normal things a customer would in a shop, they are dancing and singing.

"We're smart! We're smart! We bought it at Malo Mart!"

The lights are punishingly bright, which makes seeing the two women at the side of the store, and the old women near the counter, sadly much too easy. Like the ones in front of Link, they are dancing and singing, as brass synthesizers intone a Caribbean-style melody.

"We're smart! We're smart! We bought it at Malo Mart!"

Even the shopkeeper is getting in on things, preferring to dance at the front of the store instead of actually doing his job. Not that his services are being requested. In other circumstances, his appearance might have seemed weird. He wears a blue t-shirt and a yellow tie on top of a gray dress shirt, and on top of that is a red vest with two more pictures of Malo on it. His matching red hat has some flashing lights on it, and is topped off with a rotating bell from an old phonograph machine. How any of this was possible might be the first question one asked, again, if the circumstances were different.

But for Link, they sadly aren't, and his groan makes it quite well known that he would like to get out of this store as soon as possible. He necessarily sidesteps the customers in the middle of the store, and moves next to the old women to approach the shopkeeper.

"Yeeeeesssss?"

Did he have to do that every time?

"Is your boss in?"

"Hmm."

Wonder why he can't hear anything in this store.

"Malo, I need to speak with him."

"Oh, yes!"

Finally. Link was hoping against hope that Malo would actually be here, but this would at least save him a trip to Kakariko, which he had been hoping to avoid. Since he was here already, after all. Unfortunately, the shopkeeper didn't move or do anything else to go get Malo, but instead decided to keep on dancing. Which meant Link would have to ask him again, apparently.

"Where he is?"

"Who?"

"Malo, the guy you work for."

"Oh, no! He's not here today."

Unbelievable.

"Of course not."

Link turns around to walk out, but the shopkeeper isn't finished.

"We have a special on magic armor. Only 598 rupees! You'll buy it if you're smart."

Sure the magic armor looked nice, and there's no question that it blocked most attacks somehow. But it also cost Link loads of money, as it seemed to derive its power solely from rupees. Truthfully, Link had amassed so many hearts on his quest that he rarely had need for it. And the various potions were much cheaper and easier to carry. But this was during his quest. Now, he had absolutely no use for it.

"Thanks, I already have some. It eats my money and now it's a large paperweight."

Link continues his walk toward the door, determined not to be stopped again while sidestepping those same customers.

"Thank you for your patronage?"

With a shake of his head, Link grabs the doorknob, opens the door, and walks outside.

***

The best way to describe the town of Kakariko is with a comparison to an old west town, as a few modest-looking houses line a dirt road that runs down the middle of it. However, it differs with the large mountain plateaus that surround most of the city in its background.

Link approaches one of the buildings as a quiet dusty wind blows through the town. He walks up a few wooden steps, to find that this building also has pictures of the same kid on the outside. He tries the doorknob of the mostly metal door, but it is locked. However, considering it is still daytime, he is unperturbed. He knocks loudly on the door a few times.

"Who is it?"

A boy's voice calls from inside, although Link wonders why he had to ask.

"It's Zant, King of the Twilight. Open up."

After a moment, we hear the lock slide open, after which Link again reaches for the doorknob, opens it, and walks inside.

***

Thankfully, this Malo Mart branch is much more modest than the one in Castle Town. Only a few items appear for sale in the center of the store, which sit behind a long counter a short distance from the door. The rest of the building stretches out behind this display, but appears unused. Despite the relative paucity of accoutrements in this building, it is still very easy to miss the boy in charge, whose head indeed barely makes it over the counter in front of him. His clothes are similar to his brother Talo's, and he looks up at Link while attending to an item.

"We're closing up, Link."

"That's nice. I'm not here to buy anything."

Link begins to pace around the room as best he can while avoiding eye-contact, while Malo stops what he is doing to look at Link.

"Oh. You want your cut."

Link turns to look at Malo again, and offers an uncomforting smile.

"If you wouldn't mind."

"Business has been slow. I might be a little short this week."

This wasn't what Link wanted to hear. He draws his sword slowly, and begins to inspect the tip of the blade as he continues to ominously move around the room.

"Malo, Malo…it disappoints me to hear you say that. I just paid a visit to your Castle Town branch, and it appeared quite prosperous."

"In case you haven't noticed, there hasn't been much of a market for hero-related items lately."

A weak argument that Link sadly expected.

"Which is why I urged you to start offering other supplies. Which is how your store became more successful than before. Which is how you now have locations throughout all of Hyrule."

Link stops and turns to face Malo, and his voice uncharacteristically rises as he does so.

"And that doesn't even mention how you got started in the first place. You paid all of zero rupees for this store, and moved in only after I saved this village from the Twilight. Not only was I your only customer back then, but I paid for your Castle Town store out of my own pocket. And this was while, oh yeah, I was busy saving the world from certain doom."

Link raises his sword above his head, and at this point seems mad enough to strike.

"So if you'd like to go back to that nightmare!..."

Despite this display, Malo remains almost motionless, staring at Link the entire time. Just as suddenly as he angered, Link calms again, and replaces the sword in its sheath.

"I'm not trying to be unreasonable. I only want a fair share from a business whose success I am uniformly responsible for."

Malo studies Link for a moment, while still refusing to move. After a few seconds, he suddenly tosses a small bag to Link, which makes a clanking sound as he catches it. This appeases Link, who nods and smiles as he moves to walk out the door.

"I look forward to our continued work together."

"I could take you in a sword match anyway."

Maybe Link wasn't supposed to hear this mutter, or maybe he was. For a second, he appears ready to take action on this statement, and turns to smile at Malo. With little to prove, he turns around again, and walks out.

***

As Link descends those creaky wooden steps, he notices someone standing in front of him. A girl of about 12. It's true that the children of Ordon returned home after the ordeal three years ago, but Kakariko had become something of a second home to them during that time. Malo of course had his business to attend to, but the other children had befriended the towns elders, along with the other denizens of the sleepy village. It would eventually seem perfectly natural for them to return to Kakariko, even if only for a little while. And like it or not, old habits would seem hard to break.

Which was the reason for the girl standing in front of Link. The aforementioned Beth, who always used to take up position right in the middle of the road for some reason, and is doing it again right now. Even though she is facing away from Link, her usual clothing is still apparent, which appears similar to the other children of the town but with purple capri pants in place of a skirt. Her short blonde hair barely reaches past her ears, and it features a solitary red hair clip.

As Link gets closer to Beth, she turns around and greets him with an almost flirty smile.

"Hey, Link. Is Malo giving you trouble again?"

Link smiles at this, and reaches to touch the top of his sword.

"Nothing I can't handle. You don't ever get tired of standing out here?"

It is now Beth's turn to smile, as she has indeed spent quite a bit of time at her current location.

"I love the smell of the air on a beautiful day like this. It's much better than standing inside all day like most people."

Beth looks down at her sandaled feet before looking at Link again.

"Link, can I ask you a question?"

And another one, no doubt. Link nods.

"I'm kinda not sure what to do. You know Prince Ralis?"

She of course needn't have asked. Despite Hyrule's relatively small size, there was still enough room for two "kingdoms", somehow. While Zelda was in charge of the mainland, the Zoras controlled the waterways and the north, as their bodies had uniquely adapted to life underwater. An unfortunate consequence of Zant's visit was his "demonstration" of the Zoras' former ruler, Queen Rutela. Thankfully, Link didn't know any more details. This of course left her only son in charge after her death, which he still was after being restored to the throne, partially thanks to Link. Like the other children, Ralis too spent time in Kakariko during the crisis, as he was recovering from a near-fatal condition. And had thus spent time around Beth.

"I've gone to Zora's Domain to visit him, and he's always been very friendly. But he seems kinda distant like he doesn't know why I'm there. And then here there's Colin, who I can tell is kinda interested. I know he saved me that one time, and I can't forget that, but..."

Those darned bokoblins had charged into Kakariko, and with Beth's penchant for standing in the middle of the street, had almost kidnapped her. Colin was able to push her out of the way just in time, but this led him to be captured instead. Which of course meant Link had to save him, which he did. But that wasn't important right now. As it turns out, Link is uniquely qualified to comment on the situation.

"You have to understand that Prince Ralis has a duty to the Zoras, and this will end up coming first despite what he may feel for you. Still, it's going to be tough at your age for a while, until the guys mature a little bit."

"What would you do if you were me?"

Link smirks at the question, more from the difficulty than for another reason, before replying.

"I don't know. I don't think I can answer that because I don't know who's going to be better for you. I'd say, don't think about where they come from, or what you think you're supposed to feel. Understand who they are inside, and the choice shouldn't be too hard."

The vagueness of this answer doesn't seem to be what Beth is looking for, but she'd understand it eventually. Still, Link tries again.

"Or, just ask yourself: who do you like yourself better around?"

***

Another beautiful forest spring sits quietly in the dusk, but this one's appearance is slightly different from the one in Ordon. Instead of an isolated glade, this spring sits on the corner of a forest path, as the path bends around to other locations. A small waterfall crackles a bit, and maybe an animal sound emanates from somewhere, but the scene is otherwise quiet.

Until some footsteps can be heard approaching. Horse's hooves, to be more specific, as Link rides his galloping horse through this glade on his way back home, apparently. However, as he rounds the corner and passes the spring, he pulls his horse to a stop, dismounts, and returns to the spring on foot.

Something caught his eye. He is certain he had been mistaken, but wasn't going to risk this no matter how strange it might seem. As he walks, it quickly becomes obvious that he was right after all. There, in the middle of the spring, is another green and black glowing Twilight portal. His look turns astonished.

_Wait, is she back? Where is she?_

Link turns around to quickly search the area, but outside of his horse, he is alone. He turns back to look at the portal again, wondering what is what doing out here. Before he can think much more about it, a large reddish-pink arm shoots out of the portal suddenly, grabs a surprised Link, and pulls him inside.


	10. Strange Charm

Ugh. These sudden scene changes always made Link black out, for some reason. But he is coming to again, after what probably wasn't too long, as everything is quickly coming back to him. He was riding home past the Faron Spring, and then…oh yes, the Twilight portal.

Since Link has a good look at the dull white and black ground at the moment, it doesn't take him too long to piece together where he is. He quickly finds the strength to stand up, and is met by the warm glow of the Twilight. Taking a look around in front of him, though, yields something of a surprise. Link would've thought he'd be back in front of the Twilight Palace again, but he doesn't appear to be in front of anything. The area of land in front of him ends a short distance ahead, and it's pretty much nothing but the eerie glow and dark clouds as far as he can see. A few specks of land do appear in the distance, but otherwise he appears to be on an island.

"Link."

A voice comes from behind him suddenly, although Link isn't exactly surprised to turn and see who it is. He quickly turns around and begins to walk toward her. However, Princess Midna isn't watching him at the moment, but is instead dreamily gazing off into the twilight herself.

"I always used to like coming here when I was little. There's such a beautiful view of the Twilight; it just seems to stretch on forever."

Midna continues staring for a moment, but soon breaks off to finally look at Link. Her expression appears somewhat pained, and is also perhaps a bit longing.

"Do you even have any idea what I mean?"

Link looks up at the hushed light and dark clouds above him. Such a sight didn't really exist on his world, even during the twilight hours. Sure, clouds could grow dark, but only when rain was imminent, and even then, there was still a tint of blue to them. The otherworldly light might be similar to when the sun was behind a cloud, but there was no sun here. Nevertheless, the effect of these two features is almost hypnotic, if not soothing.

"It may be different from what I'm used to,"

Link starts, before turning to look and smile at Midna.

"But there's certainly a strange charm to it."

Midna smiles gratefully at this response, but she looks down at her feet before looking back up and continuing once more.

"I'm sorry to have brought you here, and I promise to return you soon, but I needed someone to talk to."

Another glance down and up.

"I'm not sure I'll be able to return to your world."

Link takes a breath in at the "news", as fortunately he is already used to it. Midna now starts to pace slowly back and forth on the ground, while keeping her gaze on the twilight.

"My advisors want me to withdraw my plan of reconciliation with the Light World. They say that it's too unpopular, and that they can't risk losing me again."

Midna pauses for a second, but the subtle change in her voice when she resumes almost seems to contradict what she is saying, although there is still a definite touch of resignation.

"And maybe I'm starting to agree with them. I'm not sure what I thought I'd accomplish."

Link takes another breath and takes a step closer to Midna, who stops pacing as he does so.

"I spoke with Zelda. She told me she plans to support you."

This statement seems to immediately brighten Midna's mood, but the hope on her face disappears almost as quickly as it had appeared.

"I'm not sure that's enough. Can you honestly say your people would want this?"

Yet another breath from Link, and then a small shake of his head.

"No, there's still some pain over what happened."

"But nobody really knows what happened except for us and Zelda. I don't know how to make them see what we can."

Judging by the reaction from the group at Telma's Bar, Link has the same problem. Of course, Link's introverted manner probably didn't help things, although he was never sure how to explain his situation to anyone. So he didn't. The likelihood of them understanding him was remote at best anyways. Of course, Zant's near destruction of Hyrule understandably gave everyone a bad impression of the Twili, unfair as that was. Hmm. Ironically enough, Link shared the same view of these strange hostile invaders at first.

"I know how they feel. I used to be afraid of you."

Midna approaches this comment with some curiosity, but a situation quickly flashes into her head, which spreads a smile across her face.

"Oh, what, the spider thing?"

The original goal Midna had to get the throne back from Zant was to use the power of the Fused Shadows, the ancient (and tangible) manifestation of her tribe's magic, to defeat him. Truth be told, she wasn't really sure how they would help exactly, but the stories that were passed down (along with the shadow she already had in her possession) were enough to convince her that they most certainly would. Of course, the remaining shadows were located in the Light World, which had led her to search for someone to assist her, and then…

But even she wasn't sure what to expect once they were finally assembled. She first called upon them to break the Twilight barrier around Hyrule Castle shortly before their final confrontation with Ganondorf, and they did not disappoint. The four shadows assembled to form something of a helmet, although the size totally obscured Midna's face. And then she started growing. The events after that were a bit hazy, but before she knew it, she had suddenly sprouted some additional legs and was on top of the barrier.

She blacked out shortly after that, but awoke some time later to find that she had indeed been successful in removing the barrier. She had also found that her sudden change in shape and appearance (which thankfully had returned to normal) did not scare off or otherwise injure Link, as he was instead holding her in his arms as she woke. Midna never forgot that moment.

However, Link was not referring to this episode, although he smiles at the memory.

"No."

He would of course have never admitted that he was scared of anything, although that time he truthfully wasn't. For whatever reason, he trusted that she wouldn't harm him. But it wasn't always like that.

"I thought you'd turn out to be evil, or Ganon, or something."

Most people would have reacted to this admission with at least some surprise. Others might even feel a bit of outrage or incredulity. Midna doesn't seem to have any reaction, though, and instead just nods slightly as she responds.

"With how I used to be I don't blame you. It's not like I had a high opinion of anyone in the Light World either."

What she had said before wasn't a lie. Her plan only ever went as far as regaining control of her own realm. The Light World's problems were their own business, and in her state she couldn't really afford to care about them as well. And it's not like they cared about her either. They didn't even know she existed, and those that did were afraid of her. Hmm. But Link came around.

"What made you change your mind?"

Explaining all that had happened over that time was perhaps an impossible task, but it could be summarized easily enough.

"I learned more about you, and then it wasn't that scary anymore."

Midna couldn't ever recall being afraid of anyone from the Light World, although she eventually found that she had started to care for at least some of its inhabitants for much the same reason. Once she saw Zelda and Link's kindness, she couldn't quickly turn her back on them as had once been the plan. Of course, no one else from either of their worlds ever had the same opportunity.

"Maybe that's all we need to do. Let our peoples get to know each other."

"It looks like we're the only ones who can go between our two worlds."

Midna smiles as her quickly formed and mildly deceptive plan now became clear. The dimensional shift between their two worlds meant that no one could enter the other world without undergoing an almost devastating physical change. The Twili actually lost their physical form in the Light World, and could only exist as dark and bodiless shadows, while the humans and other creatures of the Light World turned into spirits who likewise couldn't be seen, but who felt as if they were living in a nightmare. Thankfully, both Link and Midna found ways to overcome these problems during their quest, and as such were the only ones who could be legitimately expected to frequent each other's realms.

This meant that they would be forced to work together, which it seems to Midna that neither would mind. But with a thought, Midna quickly realizes that this isn't a fair thing to expect of the hero.

"I can't ask you to stay here any longer. Your people need you."

Link could never really be mad at Midna, and he understood why she was saying that. With the fate of both worlds at stake a few years ago, it was unquestionably true for both of them. But now, what exactly did his people need him for?

"Do you know how long I've waited to do...something again?"

"Probably about…"

"Yeah, that long. I'm not going anywhere."

Link had reacted slightly harsher than he meant, so he smiles to try to relieve some of the tension.

"Hyrule will be fine for a little while. Besides, it sounds like your people need me more right now."

While Link was unquestionably the hero of Hyrule, it turned out he was also the divine beast of Twili legend. This technically meant that he had responsibilities to both worlds, and so Midna welcomed his line of reasoning at the moment. But he only became this beast in the Twilight, instead of the spirits the rest of his people turned into (an occurrence thanks to the power bestowed upon him by the Goddesses). They had eventually found a way to work around this, partially thanks to Zant, but…

"I actually thought you might've turned into a wolf again."

Link smiles and indicates the sword on his back by touching the tip of its handle.

"Eh, the Master Sword can have the rest of eternity to sleep."

***

This time, two pairs of footsteps echo through a hallway in the Palace Of Twilight. However, like the other hallway, there are a number of Twili walking around, and they regard the sudden appearance of an outsider quite strangely. For the moment, Link doesn't notice, though, as he looks up and down the walls of the palace.

"I'm missing the giant paintings and statues of your likeness."

"I had to kill the last artist I had working on those. The position's still open if you're interested."

Link has no intention of acting surprised at the nonchalance of Midna's response, but instead echoes the lack of emotion.

"Too bad the hero thing takes up all my time."

As they continue down the hallway, Link notices a Twili regarding him rather curiously as they pass by.

"You sure it's alright for me to be in here?"

"I keep the fused shadows with me for a reason. No one will say anything."

Link smiles at the sentiment and turns his glance back toward the path in front of him.

"The iron hand of Midna."

They come to a door at the end of the hallway, which looks similar to (but smaller than) the one to Midna's bedroom. And also like before, Midna merely waves her hand in front of it, which causes the door to glow with a green pattern before sliding open. The two walk inside.

***

Another dark room lies in front of them, although this one is much quieter than the one they were just walking through. And smaller too, although the walls are somewhat difficult to see. A center aisle goes through two sets of stacks of books. They go perhaps seven or eight deep down the center, and extend for a short distance on both sides. Naturally, the stacks go above eye level, and thus obscure the view of anyone entering.

For Link and Midna, this lasts for but a moment, as Midna leads Link purposefully down the center aisle, past a librarian who sits at a desk near the front. This librarian looks up, but offers no other reaction upon seeing who it is.

"It always bothered me how Zant was able to surprise us in that light spirit's cavern."

It had bothered Link more what Zant did once he was there. For one, he stole the Fused Shadows after Link had spent what seemed like ages traversing three long and exhausting dungeons. This casual discarding of Link's hard work might have been considered one of the meanest things the Usurper King did during his short time in power. That was until Link watched him use his power to throw Midna around the cavern a few times, and then practically harass her into joining him. Perhaps it was fortunate that he was knocked out shortly thereafter, although the subsequent rush to save Midna's life after the encounter was not something he would ever forget.

Midna turns down an aisle near the back of the room, and continues walking as Link looks up and down at the various books he passes by.

"I figured he spread twilight throughout Hyrule in order to survive there."

Something Link figured as well, inasmuch as Midna could only appear as a shadow in Link's world (and thus was "forced" to freeload throughout most of the adventure), but was very much in the flesh in any of the twilit areas. But as soon as Link and Midna returned from the third dungeon, there was Zant standing right in front of them, no twilight necessary. Sure, the cavern became twilit shortly thereafter, but he theoretically shouldn't have been more than a shadow until then, which obviously wasn't the case.

Midna comes to a stop near the end of the aisle, and reaches for a large dark tome which has some words in an unrecognizable alphabet written on it.

"It won't surprise you that returning to the Light World has been a popular subject in our literature. Many of the books here are devoted to it, but no one was successful until Zant."

She hands the book to Link for his perusal, and he makes a cursory and somewhat surprised look at the cover and a few of the pages.

"While we were trying to get back here, Zant was making sure his legacy as 'our people's greatest ruler' would live on. Which of course included a detailed explanation of how he was able to get back to the Light World. And his theories on how the Twili could survive there."

Link nods thoughtfully and hands the book back to Midna.

"So how did he get back?"

"It really wasn't too hard after all. You're just bending space, and then creating a portal where the two worlds intersect. I mean, it's not something everyone here could do, but…"

Midna trails off and smiles a bit sheepishly, as she realizes her excited response glossed over a thousand years of magic (and plenty of science) to someone who had absolutely no experience with it. And it's not that Link couldn't possibly understand it, although it certainly sounded like it made some sense, sort of. But he knew that he didn't, especially given his education level. Nevertheless, he nods as if he does.

"Bending space, huh?"

This reaction brings a smirk out of Midna, who nods while deciding not to pursue the matter further. Link continues after a moment.

"Alright. So, what do we do?"

"Um, you're the hero."

"Riiiiight."

Link's one word response is deliberately long, as if he had been trying to think of the right answer and couldn't, but was finally and thankfully reminded of it. Thrown on the lead, he thinks for a moment.

_Bending space, portal, two worlds, go between two worlds, problem going between two worlds…_

"Did you find whoever was trying to close the portal?"

Midna is quickly reminded of her return from the Light World, and takes a large and quick breath before responding.

"They were gone by the time I got there."

"We should probably try to find them and…"

Link reaches up to the sword on his back, and grabs the handle as if he is ready to pull it out. After a quick thought, he smiles and moves his hand back down to his side again.

"…um, hear their concerns."


	11. Thirsty

The large dark door to Midna's room slides open, and the princess exits quickly with something in hand. Her large dark cloak, which she offers to Link.

"Here."

If Midna had offered anything else out of her wardrobe, the strange look with which Link is now regarding this garment would have been quite understandable. But other than belonging to Midna, the cloak has no features that would give it gender specificity. It is mostly just black, with a large hood and sleeves. The cloak easily touches the ground, rendering its apparent purpose of obscuring its wearer quite achievable. Perhaps Link just feels he should say something.

"I don't think it goes with my eyes."

Midna chooses not to acknowledge the joke, although a lighter color probably would be a better choice given Link's baby blues.

"Unfortunately, you need to not stick out right now."

News would no doubt travel quickly if the solitary strange-looking visitor from the Light World was just wandering around the Twilight, and with it rumors and…ugh. Sure, ideally the time would come when this wouldn't have to be the case, but after all of the various ordeals that the Twili had been through, taking it slow is probably the best idea.

Link appears to be taking it even slower, though, as he still has some apprehension about putting on the cloak. Midna had already started walking down the hall, but stops when she doesn't hear footsteps following her.

"You didn't have a problem with wearing that Zora armor right out of the guy's grave."

After saving the Zoras during his quest, the spirit form of Queen Rutela guided Link to his reward, which was something of a blue full-bodied swimsuit that gave Link the ability to swim underwater indefinitely. Unfortunately, the location of this reward was in the grave of Rutela's late husband, who apparently left instructions that it should be given to just such a hero. But still, who knows how many years that was just sitting around down there?

Link administers the smell test with a quick sniff of the cloak, and is unsurprisingly pleased. He finds he must nod in agreement.

"You're right. This smells much better."

Midna continues walking away from her room down the long hall, as Link finally follows while starting to slip on the cloak.

"It looks like I'll have to hide in your shadow again, but everyone kinda knows me here."

"Yeah, I used to forget you weren't there sometimes. It was awkward."

Midna can only offer a strange look at this response.

***

The large door to the palace opens slowly, but in similar fashion to the other doors found inside. Link and Midna exit presently, but stop in just a few steps' distance. They gaze at the platform of land in front of them, and at the twilight beyond that surrounds them.

"The land here is much more spread out than in your world. Warping became a necessity. I can take you anywhere you want, wherever that might be."

Link nods at Midna's statement, and then proceeds to lose himself in thought. He had hoped that Midna would have more of an idea as to what to do now, considering this palace was all he had ever seen of her entire realm. Truth be told, he wasn't entirely surprised though, as she was often just as helpful on their earlier quest. Fortunately for the both of them, he learned how to solve the many puzzles he faced more quickly as time went along. But this was a different type of conundrum.

Okay. They are looking for the Twili who were causing problems for Midna. But Link doesn't know the inhabitants here, or any of the other buildings, land masses, or whatever else that may exist in the Twilight (excepting that island he was on before, but that wasn't really helpful or relevant). Since he can't use his experience here to figure this out, he has to use his knowledge of Hyrule instead. So where do problems exist in Hyrule?

There are those various monsters who travel around the countryside, but they seem rather disorganized for something like this. Plus, there is no countryside here, as the space outside the towns where they would be is just that. So that's probably not it. There's always Ganondorf, but this seems a bit small time for someone who clearly had aspirations of taking over the entirety of two worlds. And Link is pretty sure he killed him, although apparently Ganondorf had died before and come back. From what Link understands, this happened on a timescale of at least centuries, which means it was probably much too soon to worry about him returning again.

Which is probably the problem. Link is thinking too much of the past. Maybe he needs to think more recently instead. Of course, why he wasn't was that there hadn't really been that many problems since his quest. Really, the only thing he could think of was when Midna returned, which got that stupid group all up in arms for no reason.

Hmm.

"That group that meets at Telma's Bar was giving me some trouble. You have any place like that here?"

Midna pauses but a moment to consider what lies in the vicinity of the palace.

"There is a tavern not too far from here. I've never been there, but..."

She trails off while simultaneously exchanging a look with Link, having likely and unsuspectedly answered the question. Link takes a breath in as he prepares to travel again.

"I think I'm thirsty."

***

The dark door to the equally dark Twili bar slides open, but the small number of patrons seated at the nearby tables don't pay this any heed. However, as a dark-cloaked figure enters and moves toward the bar, their attention gradually shifts. This is especially true of the bartender who stands behind the bar, who focused on this person as soon as he entered.

The entirely-obscured figure reaches the bar, and sits down on one of the stools. The bartender greets him with a very skeptical look.

"What'll ya have, stranger?"

A breath, followed by a gruff response.

"I'm not thirsty."

This does nothing to ease the bartender's obvious apprehension.

"Well, can I help you with something?"

"Perhaps I can help you. Are you aware of the princess' plan to return to the Light World?"

The bartender pauses before responding.

"Yes, of course."

"Does this not concern you?"

The bartender is concerned alright, but not about the princess' plan at the moment.

"The princess has put her life on the line for our people, and has restored peace here. I think she deserves our loyalty."

"Of course, but the prospect of mixing with those who sent us here doesn't scare you?"

No response from the bartender. Now we're getting somewhere. The figure presses on.

"I can see that it does."

The bartender scrunches his eyes, and has apparently had about enough of this.

"Who are you?"

"A concerned citizen. I hear there are others like me. Perhaps you might know where I could find those who wish only to preserve the peace."

A number of emotions had passed through the bartender's face, and were apparent enough to anyone who bothered to read them. This statement, though, provokes a very subtle yet quite different response from the Twili, while he also takes a small step away from this dark stranger.

"No, I don't know of any like you speak of."

The figure takes a breath in, and examines the scenery around him. It really just looks like an average tavern, with a few patrons around as well as some at the bar near him. And at this point, he was starting to attract their attention. There looks to be an empty room near the back of the place, but this just appeared to be an average and slow night (or whatever it was around here). If a group was meeting here, they're certainly not here now. It was unlikely that looking around would help much of anything, while it would certainly accomplish nothing.

"A pity."

A creak of the stool is heard as the figure rises from it, and he moves toward the door to exit the premises.

***

The door to the bar slides shut behind Link, and he starts to move away from the would-be line of sight.

"Did you see his eyes?"

Link turns around as Midna somehow pops up behind him. It's been a while since this happened, but Link was used to it enough that he barely noticed. Midna quickly matches Link's pace as they move toward the twilight in the distance.

"I'm sure he was hiding something. There has to be something going on there."

"I'll have to take your word for it. I couldn't see for crap."

Having achieved sufficient distance, Link slides the hood of the cloak off as they get closer to their arrival point.

"We'll have to go back there some time."

Link comes to a stop, and turns to respond to Midna's comment.

"I suspect we should, but I'm not sure what good it'll do. I know we can take whoever was trying to trap you, but it won't matter if all your people feel like that."

Midna looks down quickly, and breathes in as she returns to meet Link's eyes.

"I know. I don't want to force them into anything. We'll have to try something else."

"It's gonna be hard here without shoving 'Hey look, I'm from the Light World' down everyone's throats."

You know what? This is silly. Why was Midna bothering to hide Link like this anyways? She knows well enough that her people have issues with those from the Light World, but hiding him wasn't doing anything but putting off the hopefully inevitable. And Link was right. Who was going to stand up to the two of them? With Zant long dead and Ganondorf hopefully the same, there was no one remaining who could match either their sword or magic prowess. So really, what was she afraid of? Midna offers a small smile in Link's direction.

"Well, then maybe we should."

For once, Link is the one who is caught off guard.


	12. Irresistible

"I've called this meeting to inform you of my decision regarding relations with the Light World."

Midna stands at the head of a dark stone table which sits in a room that contains little else but it and the various Twili entering. Link stands at her side in his normal attire, and is receiving strange looks from pretty much everyone entering. It is a small crowd, consisting of perhaps ten or twelve, and mostly female. They take their seats and become quiet with the princess addressing them. Link takes a look around and also sits, as Midna continues.

"I didn't expect this to be easy, and it's true that those who were attempting to close the portal have not yet been found. But in spite of your concerns, I will not be giving up."

This causes a few looks of concern among the various Twili advisors. One of the slightly older-looking ones named Sokara attempts to speak.

"But princess…"

"Now the news is not all bad. My trip to the Light World was otherwise a success. As you may have noticed,"

Midna motions to her side.

"This is Link. He is visiting from the Light World, and can tell us their position on this matter."

Midna nods and gives an expectant look to Link as she takes a seat. Link slowly rises with a confused look on his face, and peruses the dozen or so strangers in front of him.

"Um, well…"

Link takes a breath in, and then quickly finds some words to say.

"I can't say that everyone is going to be excited about this, but our princess, Zelda, is committed to supporting Midna, and our people will follow her. There may be some bad feelings, but once they see that not everyone here is like Zant, I know there won't be any problems."

Hoping that is enough, Link sits down again as Midna rises.

"Link will be staying here for the time being, and I expect you all to show him the respect that any visitor here would deserve."

Midna turns her head toward a familiar-looking Twili sitting across from her.

"Myo, I want you to set up the guest room for Link. Now, other concerns or questions?"

The assembled Twili again turn toward each other, as the only question is where to start. Sokara unsurprisingly speaks out first.

"Are we to ignore the will of the people then?"

And of course this is the question. Somewhat uncharacteristically, Midna keeps calm.

"I am their leader, and it is up to me to decide what is best for our people. They may be too afraid to realize it now, but this is it."

A Twili seated a bit closer to Midna named Mheride now asks her question.

"And if there is further concern over someone from the Light World staying here?"

At least one of Midna's advisors can be counted on to ask a practical question. This was something they'd have to deal with, with the most likely way being that it was whoever's problem who had one.

"Link is an honored guest of the palace. With all he has done for us, it is the least we can do."

Another Twili named Ranai now speaks.

"Do you plan on returning to the Light World?"

Midna should have expected this question, although she wouldn't have been sure what to say after everything that happened. Truthfully, there was only one possible answer, which Midna provides after stealing a look at Link.

"As no one else can safely exist there yet, I may have to at some point. I plan on dealing with those who tried to close the portal before I do."

Midna looks around, but the room is now mostly silent. Fortunately her advisors were letting her off somewhat easy this time, which was just as well.

"Alright, that's it then. Thank you."

The advisors rise from their chairs and begin to leave the room, with many of them making conversation amongst themselves. Myo makes her way over to the head of the table where our two heroes are now standing. Midna takes a breath and offers Link an ironic smile.

"Sorry, I've gotten used to actually sleeping once in a while, if you don't mind."

Link can't help but smile at this. Since they were both caught up in the urgency of their quest, it seemed like the days just flew by at times. Weeks would go by, and Link wouldn't remember if he had slept at all at any time during them. He never really thought about it, though. However, it seemed like Midna was constantly yawning whenever she was sitting on his back, and there would be long periods between contact when she hid in his shadow instead. In retrospect, the reasons for this were much more clear. However, those sleepless days were long past.

And as such, Link gestures that he is fine with breaking for the, uh…

"So, is it nighttime?"

Now it was Midna's turn to smile. With no sun in their dimension, there wasn't really any reliable way to tell time.

"We usually just sort of sleep whenever here. It never seemed weird to me before."

Midna notices Myo standing patiently near her, and decides not to make her wait any longer.

"This is Myo. She'll show you to the guest room. You'll recognize it; I think there was a piece of heart in there or something. Now, you be a good boy and don't use your charm on this innocent girl."

Link smiles again, and is more than happy to play along.

"Yes, ma'am."

Midna returns the smile, but takes a breath in to bring a more serious look to her face.

"Thank you, again. If you need to go back, just let me know."

Link nods, and then looks at Myo, who motions toward the door. Midna watches as the two of them exit.

***

Was there really a piece of heart here? Even though Link knew he had been throughout the entire palace before, it was hard for him to recognize anything as he and Myo made the long trek to the guest room. And this didn't change when the door to this guest room slid open to reveal it. Considering what the palace looked like before, though, Link wasn't complaining.

The guest room is sparse, but looks pleasant enough. There is a modest bed situated along the wall, while a small dresser stands across from it. The bed isn't currently made, though, which Myo attends to presently. Some blankets and pillows are stacked against the opposite wall, which Myo goes back and forth from to accomplish her task.

"The princess rarely has guests, so you must be pretty special. It looks like I'll be serving you while you're here, so let me know if you need something."

Myo pauses in the midst of one of her trips to look at Link for a moment, but the stolid hero offers no response. She continues working after a bit, but her tone is slightly different.

"I never thought I'd meet anyone from the Light World. You're not what I expected. All of our stories tell of how arrogant your people are, but with what she says you've done for us, and now, here you are...you don't seem like that at all."

Myo pulls the blankets up and gives the pillows a pat, and then turns toward Link having finished her job.

"Well, that should do it. I'll be just down the hall if you need anything."

Myo starts walking toward the door as if to leave, but she stops when she's next to Link and faces him.

"Not all of us here may agree with the princess, but she is our leader, and we will follow her."

She starts walking toward the door again, but turns and smiles at Link as she reaches it.

"I can see why the princess wanted to go back to the Light World so badly."

The door slides open, and Myo quickly exits. Link raises his eyebrows, but lets out a breath as he turns to examine the room. He takes a few steps around, but there isn't much to see than what he already has. With little left to do now, he walks over to the bed and sits down on it. Link stands up again after just a moment, but soon decides to sit back down again.

Things feel a little better this time, so Link decides to stretch out on the bed instead of just sitting. He shifts around a little bit in an effort to get more comfortable, and is soon successful in his attempts. Having found a good spot, he takes a breath, and closes his eyes.

***

_Link…_

Link…

Link…

"Link."

Link quickly opens his eyes, and takes in the warmness of Ordon Spring. He recognizes the voice immediately, but can't figure out where it is coming from. A few steps around the small pool of water produces no results. The haze from the sun shining down and the mist of the tiny waterfall isn't nearly enough to hide anyone.

"Where are you?"

"I'm right here."

_Right where, Midna?_

"I can't see you."

"I'll always be a part of you."

This is maddening. He can hear her like she's standing right next to him, but there's clearly no one here. And she's not hiding in his shadow either, since he could always see her anyways whenever they talked, even though no one else apparently could. Maybe she's just hiding. It'd be just like her to do that, what with her disappearing all the time.

"Why did you have to leave? I've been so lonely without you."

"I never left. I'm right here."

Right where? Come on, she's got to be here somewhere. Link just has to look harder. He spins around a number of times in an effort to see where the voice is coming from. And then…ah, there she was.

Link sees a figure on the other side of the spring. He quickly rushes to meet her, having recognized her immediately. It's Ilia, that beautiful young girl from town.

"I'm so glad I found you. I wanted to tell you…"

Link trails off in some apparent nervousness, but he quickly finds the strength in the wide eyes and big smile of the young lady standing in front of him.

"Hmm?"

"I love you, and I want to be with you forever. Can you ever forgive me?"

This only makes Ilia's smile grow even larger. She grabs ahold of him to start an embrace.

"Oh, Link, of course!"

They begin to kiss passionately, and no doubt would've gone on longer and to other things were they not interrupted by a loud and bellowing…

"AHHHHHHHH!!!!"

Ilia breaks off from the kiss, and looks around with concern while still holding Link in her arms.

"What was that?"

"I don't know."

Link was certain that he had heard that high-pitched scream before, but he can't place it. He turns around to look behind him, in an effort to find this scream's location, and narrowly misses having his head taken off with a large sword blade.

"The fight is not over, boy."

Link's assailant stares at him from across the wide open Hyrule Field, with his sword poised to strike again and a decidedly evil grin on his face. This gentleman's dark blue attire and red beard would have been enough for Link to identify him, if he hadn't have heard that low voice first. A voice he hadn't heard in a few years, but yet was instantly recognizable. Crap, it's Ganondorf.

Link draws the sword from his back in just enough time to block another strong blow, and he begins to duel the much larger man as they circle in an open area of the field.

"It is not so easy to defeat me. You always think you've won, but you never have."

Ganondorf strikes Link's sword with a strong blow, which surprises the green-clad hero in that the force almost knocks him down.

"I'm much stronger than you, boy, and I will always return. You and that whelp have no chance."

Another blow with an almost identical result. Hadn't he beaten this guy before? Well this time was going much worse, as Link feels he can barely move to keep up with the attacks. His fatigue is such that he doesn't even pay attention to the slight at Midna, which he had come to expect anyway.

"Oh, did you think it an accident that you met her? You found her irresistible, no doubt, but yet you cannot have her."

Yet another strong blow from Ganondorf, which this time breaks through Link's attempted sword parry. The blade produces a large gash across Link's shoulder and chest, and knocks him to the ground. This injury itself probably isn't fatal, but Ganondorf likely isn't moving to stand above Link to offer him medical care. In this state, Link can only watch helplessly.

"Light and shadow cannot mix, boy. You were doomed to fail, just as you are now."

Ganondorf raises his sword up, and with both hands plunges it straight into Link's heart. Link recoils from the blow, and then finds himself decisively short of breath.

"Link, I…, I…, I…"

Midna's voice echoes in Link's mind as he feels himself dying. Those words that she said (or rather didn't say) shortly before she destroyed the mirror and left him. So these would be Link's last thoughts, which would at least be better than the laughing that Ganondorf was currently doing.

And it continues as Link's eyes close and any life signs permanently leave his body. With his goal accomplished, Ganondorf pulls his sword out of Link's body, and turns to look at…no, is he?

"And you!"

Wait, there's no one else here now. Can he really see me?

"Did you think I couldn't see you sitting there, watching your hero die?"

Yes, frankly, I did. I mean…how can he…crap, I've got to get out of here. But where can I go?

"Did you think the battle was over when that sword pierced my breast? What, exactly, did you win?"

How can I run or possibly go anywhere? I can't even move right now. This is hopeless. Crap. He's smiling and raising his sword now. Crap. Crap.

"You should be scared, because all of the magic and power that you have can't cure your broken heart!"

No, don't! No!

***

Midna's eyes open wide, but she can't see much in her dark room. The soft feel of her bed quickly returns her memories to her. She closes her eyes again, and lets out a long breath. She reopens her eyes and moves her head around a tiny bit, before deciding to roll over to the other side of the bed. This isn't really going to help, but she should try to get back to sleep if she can. At the moment, sleeping is the last thing she wants to do. Midna breathes in and out, in and out…


	13. First Step

_Let's just say this is a tough chapter. I realize this is extremely overdue, and isn't exactly the action-packed section most people were hoping for. This is probably my least favorite scene, and I literally couldn't face it for years. However, I also think it's important and needs to be in there, no matter how different it may seem from the rest of the story. With so much of the focus on Link and Midna, we need at least a little bit of time where that isn't the case. There's more to this scene than that, but that's part of the reason. I can make no promises about forthcoming chapters, but I do want to finish the story, and it gets both better and easier after this chapter. I'll say at the very least it won't be another three years. A thousand apologies again, and thank you to anyone still reading._

* * *

"Mo-ommmm!"

Pary walks over to his Mom with a somewhat pained expression on his face, and his cry is enough to wake Mom from her reverie.

"Jayla's being mean to me!"

"I am not!"

Jayla responds to the accusation from across the room, although her indignation isn't enough to tell if she's telling the truth or not. She moves over by the other two as Pary continues his complaint.

"She keeps making fun of me 'cause I don't know magic."

Mom breathes a sigh in and out as this is a difficulty of having children separated by a couple of years. Jayla was eight and coming along pretty well with their tribe's craft, but the six-year-old Pary was still having problems. This is not unexpected, but it is still a source of frustration, like now. Mom turns to address her daughter.

"Now Jayla, you know your brother's still learning our craft."

"I didn't do anything."

Mom kneels down by Jayla and puts an arm around her as she looks her in the eyes.

"Try to remember that you weren't very good at magic a couple of years ago either. Your brother might be learning now, but you'd better watch out when he does get better."

Jayla's eyes widen a bit at this last comment, but she otherwise says nothing. A sudden knock on the door diverts Mom's attention from the scene.

"Oh, who could be here now?"

She stands up and walks over to the door as her children watch. Mom motions for the door open, and it slides over to reveal…Princess Midna.

"Princess!"

Mom immediately drops to the ground, kneeling and bowing her head. Midna looks a bit surprised at this reaction, and shares an embarrassed look with her otherworldly companion.

"I'm sorry to bother you, as I'm not here on official business. Do you mind if I come in?"

"No, of course not."

Mom rises and motions for Midna to enter. She turns to her children as Midna and her companion move into the house.

"Children, come here!"

Midna's companion spots a small pot sitting near the entrance and picks it up curiously. There is of course nothing underneath, and the companion appears poised to smash the pot to the ground. Fortunately, a sharp look from Midna stops this from happening, as the companion realizes his habitual behavior and sets the pot down carefully. With Mom's attention on her approaching children, she thankfully doesn't notice.

"This is my daughter, Jayla, and my son, Pary."

Mom indicates each of her children in turn, who stand quiet and stare nervously at the strangers in front of them. Midna nods to each of them in acknowledgement, to no effect. This potentially awkward moment is diffused as Mom motions to a table and chairs further into the house.

"Please, sit down."

While Mom and Midna move to do so, her companion remains standing next to the table. The two women regard each other a bit nervously from across the table, but only for a moment.

"I'm sorry, my husband's not home at the moment."

"That's fine. I don't mean to scare you by showing up unannounced, but with me being at the Palace, it's hard for me to know how the people feel. So if you don't mind, I'd like to talk for a moment."

"Okay…"

"I'm sure you're familiar with my plan to reconcile with the Light World."

"Um, yes…"

"How do you feel about that?"

Mom looks down and takes a moment's pause before answering.

"Well…you'd have my support, always."

Midna smiles and takes a deep breath in.

"Thanks, but that doesn't answer my question."

Averting her eyes from Midna's gaze, Mom takes a few breaths but is unable to find any words to speak.

"I know this is hard, but I wouldn't be here if I didn't want to know how you really felt. You can tell me if you don't agree with me."

After studying Midna's face for a moment, Mom inhales deeply and shifts her eyes downward a notch.

"To be honest, I'm not really sure what the point is in going back there. We've been fine here for years, and after what happened last time, it's probably better just to leave them alone, you know?"

Midna offers some small nods and sits in silence for a few seconds, pondering this response.

"That would be easier."

She takes a breath in herself before continuing.

"I used to feel like I think everyone feels now. But we don't really know who we feel this way about. I know I didn't until I met Link," Midna gestures toward her companion who is still standing near them silently, "when I was away from the Twilight. I know you only have my word for it, but they're really not much different from us." Midna looks at Link for a moment as she continues.

"They're actually very kind, even if their ancestors sent us here. They were afraid of us, much as I think we're afraid now, and it's this fear that caused everything to happen in the first place. Someone has to take the first step, and so I am."

As the two of them sit in silence thinking about what the other has said, Link is having a staring contest with Pary. The young Twili has been eyeing the human for most of the time he's been in the house, which Link has recently taken notice of. Link takes the opportunity of the awkward silence to act. He steps slowly toward Pary's location and draws his sword, but is careful to leave the tip pointing at the ground. As Link reaches Pary, he kneels down and holds the sword up toward him.

"You want to try it?"

Pary's eyes widen at this question, as he certainly never thought it would be asked. He quickly grabs the sword's handle from Link, but struggles to lift it upright.

"Be careful!"

Mom calls out to Link and her eyes widen too as she stands, but in a different kind of surprise. She doesn't seem thrilled that her son has just been handed a deadly weapon, but Link walks back over to the table to calm her.

"Don't worry, I don't think he'll be able to do too much damage with it."

Pary is still having a difficult time doing anything to the sword other than dragging it around the floor, but in one burst of strength, he is finally able to lift it in the air. He almost instinctively turns to his sister standing nearby, which causes her to scream and run to where her mother is sitting. Pary almost looks to go after her, although he certainly wouldn't be able to run with the sword in his hands. Thankfully, Link steps in to prevent something unfortunate from happening.

"Take it easy, man. That sword's for defending good, not attacking them. It's your job to protect your sister from any evil monsters out there."

Pary alters his direction towards the front door, and starts making swinging motions as much as he can.

"Yeah, look out monsters! Who needs magic when you have a powerful sword!"

He grunts as he attacks pretend monsters in the foyer, while Link joins everyone else standing by the table. Mom's worried look still remains for a bit as her son terrorizes invisible enemies, but she does eventually have to smirk too.

"He's been having a hard time learning magic. We've tried different ways of helping him, but it's been very frustrating." She turns to address Link. "You seem to have quite a way with children."

Link raises his eyebrows but doesn't respond, as Pary continues his rampage. Noticing Jayla is still clinging to her mother and refusing to look at what's going on, Link walks over to where she is standing and bends down a bit.

"Don't worry. As I know, your magic can be much more powerful and scary than anything I could do with that sword. You keep practicing it and you won't have anything to worry about."

Jayla meets Link with wide eyes for just a moment, but then quickly presses her face into her mother's cloak again. Link smiles and straightens himself out again while glancing at Midna across the table. The princess stands up and takes a step toward the door.

"Well, I don't want to take up more of your time. We should probably get going."

Link nods and starts walking toward Pary, and the other three start slowly moving toward the door as Midna continues.

"I want to thank you for letting me talk to you. I appreciate your honesty and I hope you trust that I do have our people's best intentions at heart."

Link puts his hand on Pary's shoulder, which stops the pretend fighting.

"Sorry man, looks like I'm outta here."

Both Pary's face and the sword fall to the floor.

"Awwwww!"

Link kneels down while placing his other hand on the sword handle.

"Yeah…tell you what. I've got a wooden sword at my place. Next time I come back, it's all yours."

"Alright!"

Pary smiles widely at the news as Link takes control back of his sword and resheathes it. Not smiling so much is Mom, who exchanges a worried look with Midna.

"It won't be right away."

Link walks over by the door as it rolls open, and Midna follows in that direction. Mom again looks concerned as she watches Midna walking out, and decides to get her attention before she crosses the threshold.

"Princess, I…"

Midna turns around to look at Mom, while Link shares the gaze as well.

"I think you should know something. My husband's part of a group that tries to protect the peace in the Twilight. He doesn't tell me much, but when I heard about you almost getting stuck in the Light World…I think that might have been them. Please, their hearts are in the right place. They wouldn't want to hurt you. They're just worried; I think all of us probably are a little bit. You can talk to them yourself; they usually meet at that tavern near the palace. They're probably there right now…"

Mom breaks off her partially impassioned speech, while Midna remains calm and stares in thought for a moment.

"I don't want to hurt any of our people. They have already suffered too much. I understand how difficult this is going to be for everyone, but it won't ever be me that you'll have to worry about."

Midna smiles, which seems to cheer Mom up a little bit.

"Thank you again."

Midna turns to walk out the door again, and Link follows behind her. The door rolls shut, which leaves Mom alone with her two children again. She emits a sigh while reconsidering the events of what just happened, as her kids continue playing in the background.

* * *

The bartender wipes the bar down in front of him as the door rolls open. Unfortunately, it's not a customer that enters, but that strange hooded figure from before. He regards this arrival with a skeptical look.

"Back again, huh? I hope you plan to drink something this time."

"Perhaps."

The figure looks around the bar for a bit, but there isn't anything to see. Apart from the two of them, the rest of the bar is completely empty. After looking back and forth a few times, the figure notices what appears to be a doorway to a room in the back. He steps toward it, reaches it after a few seconds, and peers inside from the threshold. Like the tables up front, it is completely empty. The figure returns to the bar and raises his head to the bartender slightly.

"Where is everyone?"

"Slow night."

The joke is lost on the figure, who turns around and stares at the ground a small distance in front of him. Despite the quip, the bartender isn't in a joking mood.

"If you're here to cause trouble, I suggest you leave before you get hurt."

"Doesn't look like there'll be any trouble tonight."

The figure's sudden response mildly catches the bartender off guard, but he doesn't have long to take this in as the figure walks quickly toward the door and exits.

* * *

"I don't think she was lying. I wonder where everyone is?"

Midna again magically materializes next to Link as the two keep walking away from the bar.

"She probably wouldn't know where they are now anyways. I don't know where else to look."

Link comes to a stop as he looks at Midna, who tries to offer him a reassuring look.

"We'll find them. I suppose we might as well go back to the palace for now."

With terse lips, Link nods in approval.

* * *

Piece by piece, the two heroes materialize on a stretch of land near the palace. This is the same place that the Mirror Of Twilight used to lead to, and where Midna almost had a run in after her own portal collapsed. However, it's a bit of a ways from the palace itself, and with no restrictions on destinations, Midna should have placed them down nearer to the entrance. This is a fact Link realizes immediately after he comes together completely.

"Why did we come down here?"

"There was someone in the way…"

Midna and Link turn to look at the entrance, and aren't quite sure if they're seeing things correctly. They both squint as they take a few steps closer, but their initial impressions turn out to be correct. A large group of Twili have gathered outside the entrance, and some of them carry what appear to be green glowing torches. All of them are clearly shouting something, and while it's not possible to determine what from this distance, the noise is noticeably emanating from that direction. Link and Midna both look at each other after a moment with wide open eyes.


	14. Lost Cause

Link grabs his sword and pulls it partially out of the holder, but a look from Midna stops him from continuing.

"No, we can warp to the side balcony of the palace."

With a breath and a nod, Link puts the sword back down in its case. Midna waves a hand in the air, and the two quickly disintegrate up into the sky.

* * *

The advisors are all gathered near the other side of the door, but each of them wears an uncertain look on their faces. Myo catches what appears to be someone coming down the large staircase that leads to a different room, and looks to see if she is correct. Her expression changes to one of surprise and some relief as she sees the princess and Link descending the staircase, having apparently gone around the mess out front. She takes a few steps toward the staircase to greet them.

"Princess! I'm so glad to see you."

"How long have they been out there?"

"A little while now. We were afraid you might not make it back safely."

Midna walks purposefully down the staircase, and at such a quick pace that it isn't long before she passes Myo and walks over to where the others are standing. Link is not walking quite that fast, and joins them after a couple of moments.

"Has anyone been hurt?"

"No, no one was outside the palace, and they haven't tried to damage anything."

Midna arrives at the front door, and as Myo and Link catch up to her, she can make out what the protesters are saying for the first time.

"NO MORE LIGHT WORLD, SEND HIM BACK! NO MORE LIGHT WORLD, SEND HIM BACK!"

Midna stares at the door with her mouth partially open. What they are saying could have been a lot worse, and really isn't all that troublesome by itself. What was more problematic was that after all they had done, this was her people's reaction. Mheride speaks from behind as the protesters continue.

"They seem to have found out about Link staying here."

This elicits no reaction from Midna, so Sokara tries instead.

"What do you want us to do about this?"

At first, Midna doesn't seem to have heard this either, but then she shakes her head slowly a couple of times.

"We can't do anything."

The advisors start looking at each other as surprised looks spread across their faces. Ranai is the first to speak up.

"But princess, are we just going to leave them out there?"

"Unless they start hurting someone, yes we are."

Midna slowly turns around to face her advisors, but doesn't meet any of their gazes. Which many of them are doing with open mouths since this is a princess whose rage obliterated the previous king and who has more than enough power to quickly end this disturbance. Her skill in magic is such that she can traverse worlds, but a small group of rowdy protesters is proving her match with nothing more than words.

"They should have the right to express their opinion."

Midna speaks the sentence as if reciting from rote, or like she knows she should believe it but isn't so sure at the moment. She turns her head to look at the door again.

"NO MORE LIGHT WORLD, SEND HIM BACK! NO MORE LIGHT WORLD, SEND HIM BACK!"

Midna's breathing increases, and she starts to get a queasy look on her face. All of her advisors look at each other since they know they should say something, but not one of them can think of what. After a few more breaths, Midna turns away from the front door and starts walking back toward the staircase.

"If the situation changes, let me know. For now, I'm going to bed."

Link shares a bewildered look with the advisors, but no one has any words to offer. With a slight shake of his head, Link turns around and follows after Midna.

* * *

The long hallway leading up to Midna's bedroom is now empty except for two pairs of footsteps. Link has been trailing behind Midna the entire time, but still has not caught a look at her face or said a word to her. He watches from behind as she just keeps walking down a familiar dark corridor. Even though Link had only been in this part of the palace once before, he wasn't ever going to forget it. This is where the throne room used to be located, and where Zant was waiting for them near the end of their quest. Every step was filled with anxiety approaching these large doors, and Link feels the same feeling again even though the usurper king was not going to be there this time.

Midna stops just in front of the large door, but still keeps her back to Link. He catches up after a few moments, and comes to a halt right behind her. She finally turns around and looks Link in the eyes, and attempts to tell him everything she is feeling with her face. Midna's eyes appear redder than usual, and Link notices the water welling up in them. She looks angry and afraid at the same time, and doesn't seem like she can keep herself looking at anyone. Link meets her gaze as she does though, but doesn't offer any reaction in return. His eyes are strong and understanding, and a needed foil to Midna's emotional expression. After a few moments, Midna turns away so that her back faces Link again.

"I'm not sure why I thought I could do this."

He takes a step closer, and offers something himself when she doesn't continue right away.

"This isn't a lost cause."

Midna turns again to look at Link.

"Nobody wants this, except for me."

"They'll come around in time."

Shaking her head, Midna turns around another time.

"You don't understand."

Link's breathing increases slightly as his mouth hangs open. These are not words he ever expected to hear from her, nor are they likely correct. However, he is clearly missing something. Midna takes a short glance at Link before turning towards the door.

_It's time._

With a couple of breaths, Midna finds the strength to raise her arm and motion in front of the door. It glows green and rolls open, but Midna does not go inside. Instead, she takes a step away from the door with her head down and moves over to Link. Once again, she steals a quick look at him, but turns her head to the side to motion for him to enter. Link looks over at Midna for a second, and then ahead into the open doorway. He starts to walk inside, and Midna follows in step behind him with her head still down.

Link enters the large room, and looks around with some interest. The desk is still off to the side and the bed in its central location, but it isn't long before Link's eyes come to rest on the giant picture of a wolf hanging in the far end of the room. Most of the other Twili probably wouldn't have recognized it, but Link knew who the wolf was right away. For some reason, the goddesses had seen fit to transform Link into a wolf when he was in the different dimension of Twilight. Or at least the power of the Triforce did it to protect him somehow, since the spirit existence of "normal" people rendered them helpless when they were in it. With Zant covering most of Hyrule in Twilight, Link had spent quite a bit of time on their quest as a wolf, who Midna was only too happy to ride like a horse. Of course, there must be plenty of other wolves, but the blue eyes and a broken chain still cuffed to one paw were giveaways. Even though it had been years since Link was a wolf, it is still like looking into a mirror.

"Oh."

Link slowly steps closer to the picture while inspecting its detail. Midna continues behind him with her head down and a few nervous gestures.

"Now do you understand?"

Link looks at the picture in deeper thought.

"You've got a thing for wolves?"

Midna can't help but smile widely as she rolls her eyes.

"No. A picture of the divine beast of our legends would not be questioned, as opposed to one in his true form."

Link turns around and smiles at Midna. He knew exactly what she was trying to say as she was leaving three years ago, although he didn't think it would manifest itself like this or last for this long.

"I tried to tell you."

She did indeed, but it wasn't really necessary. He didn't exactly expect to see a picture of his likeness hanging in her room, but that the feelings existed wasn't a surprise.

"I know."

Midna wasn't entirely talking about this, so her breathing and smiling are more ironic than a reaction of relief.

"But you don't know."

She pauses a moment.

"When I first found Zant's book, and I realized I could get back to the Light World, my only thought was that I could see you again."

As Link studies her, Midna knows this isn't exactly helpful either. After coming this far, she has little choice but to continue.

"I didn't go back to your world to help my people…_I did it to see you_."

Those last words are almost whispered by Midna, and sound as if they had to be torn out of her. She turns away from Link temporarily to regather herself before facing him again.

"I never realized what kind of effect you would have on me. I thought it was just some stupid crush and that I'd get over it. And maybe I thought I did. But once I knew I could see you again…"

Midna breaks off to the still apparently emotionless Link. She was the one who left him, and now she was complaining? What the hell was she doing? Midna manages a smirk before continuing.

"I'm sorry, I don't mean to dump this on you. I wouldn't expect you to understand how I feel."

Link takes it all in for a moment before calmly beginning himself.

"After you left, I spent…oh…probably about a year trying to get back to the Twilight again. I talked to everyone I could think of; Shad, the Oocca…I prayed to the light spirits, the goddesses…I tried to find anything I might have missed. But there was nothing, and after a while I had nothing left to do, so I went back to Ordon. I never really thought I'd see you again, but I always hoped I would." With a gesture, Link sounds slightly more emotional. "And I know I killed any chance I had with Ilia, or even Zelda, but I didn't care, because…"

Midna knows what he means all too well, but then with a thought realizes maybe she should know better. He is still a guy, after all.

"Yeah, I could see the way you looked at me when you finally saw my real form."

After spending the entire quest as an imp, Ganondorf's death meant that the curse on Midna was finally broken. She was actually pretty cute in that form, but Link began to suspect that a much more beautiful woman was trapped inside. Technically that is what he found. Link shakes his head in almost exasperated fashion.

"No, that wasn't it at all. It wasn't what I expected to see. I know you would've shown me sooner if you could so I wasn't mad, but I had to get used to you being someone else. And as soon as you said something, I could see it was you, and that's why I smiled."

Midna's confused look mirrors her response to these thoughts.

"So you didn't think I was beautiful?"

Link smirks.

"Of course, it's…"

The concept is difficult for Link to explain. He probably hadn't even thought of it himself until after meeting Midna.

"When you were an imp, I eventually saw your personality, and _that's_ how I saw you. And now," Link gestures to enforce the meaning of his next words, "_I still see you_. You're very beautiful, just as you were. It never mattered to me what you looked like."

Midna isn't quite able to make sense of this. She still can't grasp that Link might actually feel this way about her, which the look on her face displays.

"But…how…me?"

Link answers with an affirmative look and a small nod, but Midna's response is more incredulous.

"But I've ruined everything! My people are mad and rebelling, yours are hurt and afraid, they both still hate each other, and you've been alone, all thanks to me." Midna turns away before continuing. "Zant was right, I'm not worthy of ruling the Twili."

Link had known about the beef between the two since early in their quest together, but this is an odd aside when the subject isn't being discussed. He stands with his mouth open a bit as Midna turns around again after steadying herself.

"I should tell you; Zant said that he expected to be the next ruler of the Twili, but he didn't tell you why he did. See, Zant and I were…"

The thoughts that flash through Link's mind are sudden and unpleasant. _Wait, does she mean they were going out? Does that mean she liked that guy? Or more? And if they were going out, does that mean they…_ The expression on Link's face turns to utter revulsion.

"Aw!"

Midna quickly realizes she shouldn't have broken off there and guesses what Link was thinking, which wasn't close to the case.

"No! We never..."

She shakes her head forcefully, and then continues strongly to correct the misunderstanding.

"Zant and I were betrothed. He expected to marry me, and then become king, and I guess I expected I'd marry him." Both of them calm down as Midna continues on more quietly.

"But when that day approached, I remember we were talking to my father, and I could see it. He didn't care about me at all, he just wanted to be king. My father may not have been the best judge of character, but he was always understanding. I told him I couldn't go through with it, and he agreed. He called Zant to his chamber and told him the wedding was off, and that I would be the next ruler. You know how well that went. He said that me becoming the next ruler was a complete joke, and stormed out of the room."

Indeed, Zant related a similar story himself to the two when they finally caught up to him in this very room, but he conveniently left out certain details (and apparently large sections) as to why he behaved so strangely around Midna. Considering how Zant acted in their following fight, it was obvious he wasn't exactly sane. Link knew there was something between the two, but he hadn't guessed it was this serious. Still, there was no way anything he said should be taken seriously given his anger and the influence of Ganondorf. But yet Midna apparently does, as she smiles ironically at Link and turns away from him again.

"Looks like he was right."

Link studies Midna for but a moment before he takes a couple of steps forward and puts a hand on her shoulder. She straightens up and breathes at the touch, and lets his hand sit there for a moment before slowly turning around to face him. They look each other in the eyes, breathing and taking in their closeness, before Link breaks the silence.

"You can't see it, can you?"

Midna's eyes tighten just a small bit to indicate her confusion.

"When you were deposed by Zant, you only thought of getting back to save your people from him. He was too powerful and you needed help, so you found me. Together we got you back here, and then sacrificed our friendship so that those events wouldn't happen again. You never abandoned your people, you did what had to be done to save them."

The expression on Midna's face breaks just slightly in what is almost a smile.

"And you're not wrong here. Both of our peoples are still afraid of each other, and we'd have to face that eventually. Your people really are lucky to have you."

Certain leaders terrorized the Twili (and others) for power and personal gain, and apparently for revenge as well. While Midna was justified in seeking her own revenge, her first goal was to save her land and people. And eventually this goal had expanded to Zelda and all of Hyrule as well. Link had seen all of this first hand, and related exactly what happened. Midna can't argue with it, and tears well up in her eyes at the kindness of what Link is saying.

"It wasn't just a coincidence that what you wanted would also help your people."

This grand initiative to reunite the long divided peoples and bridge their cultures was just an excuse for Midna to see Link again? He wasn't buying it, even if that's where the impetus for it began. Midna just isn't that selfish, no matter what she might think of herself. As they stand there together, Midna finally allows herself a full-fledged smile.

* * *

Midna and Link walk slowly down the hallway just outside the guest room arm in arm, which like the other hallway is empty except for the both of them. They alternate looking in front of themselves and down at the floor while enjoying each other's presence. Link speaks presently.

"Maybe we should let this calm down for a bit. There's still a whole other world to work on, after all."

"So you want to go back?"

"I suppose I should, although I'll need someone from the Twilight to come with me."

Link notices Midna turn her head to look at the wall next to them.

"You do still want to help our peoples, right? We need to show them that not everyone from your world is scary."

Link turns his head to look at Midna's, which causes her to turn in response. He gets a rather quizzical look on his face.

"Well, maybe they are, come to think of it."

With barely a look of warning, Midna pushes Link hard toward the opposite wall. He nearly loses his balance but steps quickly to recover, while now sporting a large grin.

"See?"

Midna responds with a slightly displeased and sardonic smile.

"You're going to see if you keep it up."

Link's eyes widen and his expression changes to show mock fear at this statement, but he quickly returns to normal as the two come together again.

"Seriously, you should be fine if you just make a portal where no one will find it. Like that island or whatever."

Midna takes a full breath and then nods slightly a couple of times.

" I should talk to Zelda again, at least."

Link and Midna come to the door of the guest room and turn and stop in front of it. They let go but still face each other as Link has his back to the door. Midna offers a quick nervous smile as she continues.

"We can go when you get up."

Link nods in response as Midna's smile grows wider.

"Good night."

_Right, "night"_. Link gets a bemused look on his face.

"Good night."

The two of them don't realize they are moving imperceptibly closer to each other.

"Thank you," Midna pauses just a moment. "You've given me so much. I could never repay what you've done."

Link can't help but contrast current events with the past three years of his life, which brings a smile to his face.

"You have no idea."

Midna looks into Link's eyes, and her response is noticeably more nervous.

"So I'll see you…later, then?"

Link nods, as Midna's "catchphrase" makes a lot more sense after spending time in the Twilight. He pauses while continuing to look in Midna's eyes, as the strength to leave eludes him for the moment.

Suddenly, Midna pulls Link closes and kisses him deeply. The two put their arms around each other as they share a passionate embrace.


	15. Horses

Outside of the guest room, Midna's advisors stand together alternating worried looks between themselves and the door. It has been some time since they've heard anything, but they're not sure if that's good or bad. Finally, the door glows and rolls open, and Princess Midna steps out carefully. A few hairs are perhaps out of place and her eyes look somewhat tired, but her appearance can't be described as disheveled. Link comes out after her in much the same fashion, and the two look around in the apparent hope that nobody is around.

Naturally, Midna's eyes soon come upon her advisors, who greet her with concerned and suspicious looks. Her first reaction is a bit sheepish, but she quickly tries to pretend that everything is normal.

"What? I just had some things to discuss with Link."

Several of the advisors exchange skeptical looks while Myo explains why they're not buying it.

"Um, Princess? You were drowning out the protesters sometimes." Mercifully they had dispersed at some point, but still. Ranai is the next to chime in.

"And I'm pretty sure I heard some sort of strange animal noises."

She is followed closely by Mheride.

"We didn't know if you were alright."

Midna and Link exchange embarrassed looks, as neither realized they were being that loud. Maybe they shouldn't have done some of what they did in retrospect, but those things happen. Midna refuses to give in, and continues unconvincingly offering the "real" explanation for what happened.

"I'm fine. We were just discussing Link's return to the Light World, and after much debate, I will be going with him."

The displeasure turns to incredulity, as audible gasps are heard and the advisors murmur a few words amongst themselves. Midna quickly continues before any of them can interrupt her.

"We both decided that it might be good for me to get away from this situation, and besides," Midna looks quickly at Link before turning back to the advisors, "there's plenty of work to do in both worlds if there's ever going to be a reunion." She takes a breath as her expression becomes quite serious.

"I may not be coming back, so I'm leaving Sokara in charge." Midna turns to look the stunned advisor in the eye. "You'll have to start a new royal line if I don't return."

The advisors gasp again and look at each other in shock at the announcement. Treating the royal office like this is abominable, and Midna certainly can't go naming a successor like that. A couple of "what"s escape the advisors lips as they turn to face Sokara, who steps up to look at Midna with her mouth open a bit. The princess can only roll her eyes and shake her head slightly as she turns to walk away from them down the hall.

"You guys really need to lighten up once in a while."

Her footsteps echo as Link is left with the advisors. He raises his eyebrows, nods, and gestures in agreement before starting down the hall after Midna. Once again, the advisors have only themselves to regard.

* * *

The serene beauty of Faron Spring rivals any of the other similar locations in Hyrule, especially on such a quiet morning. A small gust of wind rustles some of the leaves on the trees, while a couple of birds tweet their songs at periodic intervals. The calm sound of the waterfall provides the foundation for this soundtrack by smoothing over any unnecessary noises. Even if it makes the volume louder compared to the other places close by, the relaxing effect more than makes up for it.

Which is good when an unnecessary noise presently intrudes into this setting. A dark, flat, short hum precedes a long materialization sound, but the calm returns after this disruption. Link stands up next to Midna, and surveys the situation from just in front of the portal. He looks around to find that the area is mostly empty, which prompts a concerned look on his face. With a raise of his eyebrows, he reaches into his back pocket to pull something out.

The horseshoe-shaped charm is lightly colored with holes drilled on the side of it and a brown strap on top. Link puts the charm to his mouth and gives it a long blow. Instead of one note, a three-note motive comes out instead. This tune consists of the top three notes of the pentatonic scale, which echoes throughout the countryside as it's played twice. Once the echoes die away, Link replaces the charm into his pocket and looks around expectantly. He checks both directions on the path, but it soon becomes obvious that nothing is going to happen. Link's brow wrinkles at the lack of action.

"That usually works. She was right here when I left."

"There's always another beast we can ride if your horse isn't coming."

Midna smiles slyly at Link, but he doesn't come close to returning the expression. It's true that he had little choice but to run around Hyrule as a wolf when it was covered in twilight, and Midna was only too happy to tag along for the ride. Even though Link was extremely athletic, it was quite the task to do this, and it had been years since he had to. His look is stern and a slight bit horrified.

"I am _not_ wolfing it throughout Hyrule again."

This response only makes Midna smile wider, and she steps as close to Link as she can. Now right in front of him, Midna puts her hand on Link's arm and bends her head so that it is close to his ear.

"I hope you didn't forget that you promised you'd do anything I say."

The memory quickly pops up in Link's head. It wasn't really a promise, but more of a condition. Midna wasn't quite herself when she rescued Link from his cell shortly after he entered twilit Hyrule for the first time. In retrospect, losing her kingdom almost cost Midna her sanity as well, which explains the manic giggling of their early encounter. Her subsequent revelation of being a princess explained the request, as no doubt Midna was not used to doing everything by herself. Considering Link's state and that he had no idea what was going on at the time, he had little choice but to acquiesce. It was so long ago now that Link figured they had both forgotten about the "promise", but apparently this wasn't the case.

Thankfully, Link's procurement of the Master Sword meant he didn't have to worry about being turned into a wolf whenever he entered twilight. Of course, the dark magic charm that Zant stuck in him nullified this safeguard, but Midna was able to take control of it once the Master Sword pushed it back out of his body. Link knew Midna still had the charm with her, and as long as it didn't touch him, he wouldn't be turned into a wolf. Clearly he would have to make sure this didn't happen.

Link takes a few steps back from Midna, and pauses for a few seconds in apparent thought. Then suddenly, he takes off running down the path toward Ordon. Midna offers a smirk as she watches him sprint away from her, since he's now running throughout Hyrule anyway. After a few seconds, she starts walking down the path in pursuit.

* * *

Ordon Spring might be sectioned off and less impressive-looking than its counterpart in Faron Province, but that doesn't mean it's actually any smaller. The waterfall is shorter and only has one level, but the wading pond in front makes up for it. Unlike the others in Hyrule, Ordon Spring has a gate, although it is usually left open.

Which is the case now, as Link slows to a walk and turns into the spring's entrance. After a few steps, he sees that his horse has indeed come to this spring, as she is standing near the waterfall. It is unlikely that she would have chosen galloping around Hyrule to returning home, so Ordon was the most probable location for where she went. While Link is relieved to find her again, he quickly stops after a few more steps. There is someone standing next to the horse who is quietly bathing her. It is Ilia.

Midna steps up just behind Link to see the current situation. Both of them watch without moving much as Ilia tends to the horse. After a moment, Ilia looks up to see Link, but she quickly returns to what she was doing. Link stares forward while slightly shaking his head, being apparently lost in thought. With a breath, he starts walking over to Ilia and his horse, while Midna follows behind him. He stops a few steps away from them, but Ilia doesn't seem to notice this. After a moment, she finally does speak to Link, but without looking up from her work.

"She was just standing outside alone. It's a good thing I came along."

Ilia stops her work and looks at Link.

"This has been a kind of habit for you, hasn't it? Just leave Epona standing wherever while you're off questing?"

"Uh, that was my fault, actually."

Midna steps up next to Link to address Ilia, who seems quite confused at this unknown person speaking to her.

"I kind of grabbed him away before he could bring his horse back."

Ilia takes a step away from Epona and toward the stranger.

"I'm sorry, I don't think we've met."

"We have, actually. Well, I saw you but you never saw me."

This makes sense from Midna's point of view, and Link knew why it did, but the physics didn't match anything seen on a normal day in the Light World. Link can see Ilia isn't understanding what is going on, and tries to diffuse the situation.

"It's kind of a long story…"

As Link trails off, Midna decides it might be better to press on after all. They weren't here to hide from everyone and not pretend their cultures were different.

"No, not really. You see, I'm from the Twilight Realm, and before when I was here I couldn't survive in your world, so I hid in Link's shadow instead. You couldn't see me, but I was there with Link."

Unfortunately, this explanation raises more questions than it answers for Ilia, whose perplexed look has yet to leave her face.

"You're from the Twilight?"

Midna quickly understands why this would surprise her.

"Yes. Those hideous shadow beasts were entirely Zant's creation. Most of us look a lot like me."

Although Midna absolutely doesn't resemble those big, black, ugly, and bent over creatures that stalked the streets of Kakariko and elsewhere, something still doesn't seem quite right to Ilia.

"I thought you need the Twilight to survive here."

"Well I actually don't anymore. Zelda gave me the ability to live here after I almost died on our adventure. I've never forgotten her kindness toward me."

The mechanics of what happens to humans and Twili in each other's dimensions is the subject for a lengthy book that hopefully exists in the Palace Of Twilight library. Zelda did apparently use her power from the goddesses to save Midna after Zant exposed her to the light. However, Midna didn't lose the ability to exist in the Light World after she returned the power later on. With Zant able to appear wherever he wanted, Link turning into an animal with and without the Master Sword, Midna becoming a shadow in the Light World and able to keep this power in either dimension, the people of Hyrule becoming spirits, and Zelda not turning into anything, there was a lot that Midna didn't know for sure about the effects that both dimensions had on its inhabitants.

Needless to say, Ilia is completely hopeless in being able to understand any of this, although there's another reason she's still confused.

"Zelda?...I'm sorry, I thought we were preparing for another invasion by the Twili"

Link heard this perfectly well, but he isn't able to hide his disgust and gives an unenthusiastic and sarcastic response.

"What?"

"Rusl told us that the Twili had returned, and that we had to prepare for another attack. Everyone was worried when we couldn't find you for a few days."

While Link shakes his head at the work he has ahead of him now, Midna takes a step forward and gives a strong response.

"As the leader of the Twili, I can assure you there is no invasion. I only want peace, for both of our peoples."

Ilia studies Midna and considers everything she's seen. Clearly this much taller woman isn't from around here, but she doesn't seem all that malevolent either. When Ilia was attacked in the spring three years ago, they just charged in and took her, and it was weeks before she even got her memory back. Now this regal-looking foreigner is actually trying to be friendly to her, and there were no vicious Bulblins around nor was there any unwanted spread of twilight. From the looks of things, Midna was actually telling the truth. Ilia turns to Link and speaks to him calmly.

"I figured you were just out saving us again, and so you were. You really have done so much for all of us."

"Actually, that's why we were looking for Epona, since we have to meet with Princess Zelda."

This may not sound convincing coming out of Link's mouth, but it's not really a lie. Even if it was, Epona didn't actually belong to Ilia, so she knew she was going to have to give the horse back eventually. Link may not feel the same way about Epona as Ilia does, but he wasn't a bad guy either. Under the circumstances, it wasn't really right for her to withhold Epona any longer.

"Of course. I don't want to stand in the way of your duties to everyone, but try not to forget that everybody else has feelings too." Ilia strokes Epona's mane and looks at the horse for a moment before turning back to Link. "Epona's not a tool to help you, but an actual living breathing creature. Please remember that."

Link takes this in for a bit and then nods. Ilia is probably right that he hadn't been that considerate of Epona throughout the years, but there were a lot of places that she just couldn't go, and she never seemed to have any trouble taking care of herself for a little bit. Perhaps he should think of her a bit more at least.

Ilia takes a few steps back from Epona as Link and Midna approach the horse. With a hand, Link helps Midna step up onto the stirrup, and she slides her leg over and comes to rest on the back of the saddle. Link lifts himself up via the stirrup as well, and jumps on in front of Midna. She puts her hands around his waist as he kicks Epona into action.

"Heyah!"

With a neigh, Epona takes off, bringing her two riders out of the spring and onto the path leading away from town. Midna turns to see Ilia watching them as they exit the spring, and thinks for a moment after she is out of sight. Facing ahead again, Midna leans forward to be closer to Link's ear when she speaks.

"What's with her and horses?"

Link turns back to look at Midna, but can only roll his eyes and shake his head.


End file.
